My Old Lady, Israel Horowitz's new « dramedy », is currently playing in american theatres, soon to be released in the UK (21 november 2014).

The film is distributed in
Canada and the United States by Cohen
Media Group and in the United Kingdom by
Artificial Eye. It was produced by
BBC Films and Deux chevaux
Films. French servicing production was
Full Dawa in collaboration with
The Ile-de-France Film Commission
and Paris Film. It
benefited from the Tax rebate for
international production
(TRIP) supports.

The film was shot in France in autumn 2013 and
stars Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott
Thomas, Kevin Kline and the
French actor Dominique Pinon. The
famous 75 years old playwright, Israel
Horowitz, tells here the story of Mathias, a
down-and-out New Yorker, who suddenly
inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with
an unexpected resident, an old woman named
Mathilde who lives with her daughter Chloé. The
trio will connect in unexpected ways.

The film features famous Parisian streets such
as “rue des des Francs-Bourgeois” and “rue de
Sévigné” and many scenes were also shot in “La
Manufacture des Gobelins”. Israel Horowitz is
one of many film director, among whom Woody
Allen or Whit Stillman (also beneficiaries of the
TRIP), who decided to shot in Paris
during the last few years with the intention to
“write a love letter to France”.

The Cosmopolitans, Whit Stillman's new series set in Paris, has been released on Amazon website.

"I would say overall
it was a dream. Nicest
and best crew – as nice and good a crew as any
I've ever worked with. It was ideal." declared
Whit Stillman, reminiscing about his
perfect shoot in Paris.

The director of Metropolitan and the
Last Days of Disco seems delighted
with his last spring Paris shoot of The
Cosmopolitans pilot, produced in
France by Firstep. The pilot was financed by
Amazon with the Tax rebate for
international production supports (TRIP)
and released on Amazon website on August
28th. The show follows a group of young
American searching for love and friendship in
Paris. The film displays the same humor and wit
as Stillman's previous films.

“I had so many stories set in Paris. Prior to
that, when I had spoken to companies about
these stories, they said, we like this, but you
have to move this to New York - we can't do
this story in Paris. This is the first thing I've
done since Metropolitan where I feel I really
know the milieu, I'm really dealing with things I
know about.” Expressed Whit Stillman
who lived in Paris for a long time. Film
France is looking forward to the greenlight for
the whole series that could enter in production
again this fall.

Sources for the quotes of Mr Stillman:
www.collider.com
www.tribecafilm.com

Inception , 3 Days to Kill, The 100 FT Journey, Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight & Midnight in Paris, Hugo Cabret, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Covert Affairs, Perception, Rosemary's Baby mini series... They all came to France! France is the biggest film production hub in Europe, it has some of the world's most famous landmarks and a large pool of amazing talents. This year again, one French production got an Academy Award (Mr Hublot. Besides, French crew members have a true and rare dedication.

Directed by Roger Michell & written by Hanif Kureishi, the film unites Jim Broadbent & Lindsay Duncan in a funny yet romantic balade in Paris...

The pitch: Nick and Meg Burrows are a married academic couple from Birmingham (UK) advancing in age and tension. To mark their 30th wedding anniversary, the two embark on a trip to the place they honeymooned three decades ago: Paris, France.

The film was shot in emblematic places in Paris: Montmartre, Tuileries, Palace Plaza Athénée, Gare du Nord, etc. Production serviced by Le Bureau Films, the film was shot here entirely in 21 days.
It received logistical support from Paris Film and benefited from the Tax Rebate for International Production (TRIP).

The film received positive reviews from all over the world at TIFF where it first premiered, but also upon its releases in the UK, Ireland, Estonia, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and most lately in France. The film is to open in the US theaters on March 12th, it is distributed by Music Box Films.
For more info on the US release, click here

04/03/2014

Mr Hublot from Lorraine gets the Oscar!

Up and coming French talents win an Oscar for their short

Mr Hublot, a joint French-Luxembourger
production, took the prize for Best
Animated Short Film. This little fiction
inspired by the characters designed by sculptor
Stéphane Halleux tells the story of Mr Hublot a
withdrawn, idiosyncratic character with OCD,
scared of change and the outside world. The
arrival of a robot dog turns his life upside
down… Directed by French Laurent Witz
and Luxembourger Alexandre Espigares
the film is produced by Watt Frame (based
in Lorraine) and Zeilt Productions (based
in Luxembourg). This film is the result of
creative work encouraged by the Lorraine
Region that supported it with 30,000
euros.

The Best Foreign Language Film was
attributed to La Grande Bellezza (The Great
Beauty) directed by Paolo Sorrentino
(Italy), a movie co-produced with France
(Italy: Indigo Films, France: Babe Films, Pathé
Production)

20/02/2014

French awards in Berlin !

The Berlinale is over, but French people went back with some nice prices!

Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize (for a
feature film that opens new perspectives):
Life of Riley by A. Resnais, shot in
studios in Ile-de-France and supported by CNC

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic
Contribution:Bling Massage by
Lou Ye (China, France), supported by the World
Cinema Support (CNC)

Public Price in Panorama selection: Brides by T. Kajrishvili (Georgia,
France), supported by the World Cinema
Support (CNC)

Golden Bear for Best Short Film: As long as shotguns remain by C
Poggi & J Vinel, shot in Haute-Garonne, the
movie was helped by the Midi Pyrénées Film
Commission

10/02/2014

France well represented at this year's Berlinale

More than 20 French films have been selected at the 64th edition of the Berlin film festival! Let's focus on some of those titles...

In Competition:Life of Riley by A. Resnais, shot in
studios in Ile-de-France, supported by
CNCAloft by C. Llosa, (Spain,
Canada, France), supported by the World
Cinema Support (CNC)Bling Massage by Lou Ye (China,
France), supported by the World Cinema
Support (CNC)Beauty & the Beast by C.
Gans, supported by the French-German mini-
traité (CNC)

Berlinale Special:Diplomacy by V. Schlöndorff,
supported by Paris Film, the
Region Ile-de-France, the French-German mini-
traité (CNC)In the Courtyard by P. Salvadori,
help logistically by Paris Film

Panorama:Yves Saint Laurent by J. Lespert,
supported by Paris Film and
CNC
If you don't, I will by S. Filières,
supported by the Region Rhône-Alpes and CNC
Brides by T. Kajrishvili (Georgia,
France), supported by the World Cinema
Support (CNC)

In Forum, 2 French
Documentaries Scrap Yard by N.
Trebal as well as Iranian by M.
Tamadon and one feature The Kidnapping
of Michel Houellebecq will be shown.

Generation Kplus:Aunt Hilda! by JR. Girerd & B. Chieux
produced by Folimage in Drôme and supported
by Rhône-Alpes Cinéma and CNC
Wolfy, the Incredible Secret by G.
Solotareff & E. Omond, produced by Image
Magelis pole, supported by the Region Poitou
Charentes and Charentes department and CNC
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by
M. Malzieu & S. Berla, supported by
the Region Ile de France
South is nothing by F. Mollo
(Italy France), supported by the World Cinema
Support (CNC)

Best Short Film:Avant de tout
Perdre (Before losing
everything), by Xavier Legrand &
Alexandre Gavras, supported by the Region
Franche Comté.
Best Foreign Language Film:
The Missing Picture directed by Rithy
Pahn (the first ever Cambodian Oscar entry)
and La Grande Bellezza directed by
Paolo Sorrentino (Italy), are two feature films
co-produced with France.Best Cinematography: Philippe Le
Sourd for The Grandmaster (This film
has benefited from the Tax Rebate for
International Production - TRIP on the visual
effects made by BUF) and Bruno Delbonnel for
Inside Llewyn Davis.
Best Music Original Score: the
6th time nominated composer Alexandre
Desplat for Philomena.
Best Writing Adapted
Screenplay: Before Midnight,
screenplay by Julie Delpy.

Last but not least.... French animation
talents and films also at Oscars 2014:

Ernest & Celestine by Benjamin
Renner, Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar, is
nominated for Best Animated Feature
Film. It received the support of Region
Ile-de-France and Pôle Image Magelis of
Department Charente and Region Poitou-
Charentes. Sets, character designs and special
effects were assembled in the studio Blue
Spirit, based in Angoulême.
Last year's world's animation biggest
success Despicable Me 2 directed by
Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin & produced by
Universal / Illumination is nominated for
Best Animated Feature Film and Best
Original Song with "Happy" of Pharrell
Williams. This feature was developed in France
in the Paris studios MacGuff Line. It benefited
from the Tax Rebate for International
Production (TRIP).
Mr Hublot short fiction, written
and directed by Laurent Witz is nominated for
Best Animated Short Film. It received
the support of the Region Lorraine.

The 86th ceremony will take place in Los
Angeles on March 2nd, 2014.

14/01/2014

Death in Paradise is back on TV in the UK!

The third season of Death in Paradise is now on screen on BBC One.

This British crime comedy-drama created by
Robert Thorogood has entirely been filmed on
the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The plot
features an inspector forced to investigate on
the island of Saint-Marie in the Caribbean
despite his hatred of sun, sea and sand. Ben
Miller, who played Detective Richard Poole
during the first two seasons, will be replaced
by actor Kris Marshall, who will play another
investigator. In that paradise setting crimes
occur and Marshall, along with the French
actress Sara Martins (Camille Bordey), are
responsible for solving them. This TV series
benefited from the Tax Rebate for International
Production (TRIP), it received logistic help
from the Guadeloupe Film Commission as well
as consequent financial support from the
Guadeloupe Region. This series has already
known a great success in the UK considering
that the second season averaged almost 8
million consolidated viewers per episode.

The French supernatural drama series The Returned (Les Revenants) shown on American Sundance Channel.

This 8x52minute-Series produced by Paris-
based Cannes winner (The Class, 2008)
production company Haut et Court and
coproduced by Canal+ in France was shot from
end of March to mid-August 2012 in the Alps
(in and around Annecy: Seynod, Poisy, Epargny
& the Tignes dam). The Rhône-Alpes Region
supported the project with €180,000 & the
Rhône-Alpes Film Commission supported the
shoot logistically by finding locations &
providing the crew with about 30 local
technicians in all positions.

Synopsis : The Returned opens in a
small mountain community which is rocked to
its core when several local people who are
presumed dead suddenly re-appear at their
homes. Despite having passed away some
years earlier, these ghostly characters appear in
human form, they have not aged, and they are
completely unaware of their own fatality.
Determined to reclaim their lives and start over,
they slowly come to realize that they are not
the only ones to have been brought back from
the dead…

Already aired on Canal+ in France and Channel
4 in the UK, the series garnered rave reviews
and ratings. The Americans have been seduced,
the series won the International Emmy Award
for 'Best Drama Series'. The series
has been sold in more
than twenty countries, including Sweden,
Israel, Canada, Turkey and the USA. The first
episodes showed this month in the USA have
already received a great response from the
audience.
Filming of the second season will start next
year in France.

The Dordogne Departmental Council & the
Dordogne Film Commission in partnership with
the Institut français and Film France organised
a special event "Dordogne Calling" to promote
its magnificent locations to an array of British
professionals.

The event intended to show the value of
Dordogne as a destination for shootings and
its film commission's many free top services
(finding locations, crew members & talents,
extras, & local service providers...). During the
evening British film and TV professionals were
able to discover the opportunities offered by
the Dordogne while enjoying a feast from the
Périgord: wine, foie gras and other delicacies.
Finally, to give all an example of the fantastic
locations available in Dordogne, the evening
ended with the UK premiere of the film
JAPPELOUP directed by Christian Dugay
starring Guillaume Canet and produced by
Acajou Films, also present in London.
JAPPELOUP not only tells the story of an
exceptional jockey and his horse, but also gives
a tour of the Dordogne's most beautiful
locations and scenery.

12/11/2013

The Tunnel – British-French TV series

The Tunnel is a British/French crime drama television series produced by Shine Ldt and broadcast on Sky Atlantic (UK) and on Canal + (France).

Filming began in march 2012, with location
shooting largely taken place in Kent and
northern France. The shooting last 31 days in
France around Dunkerque, Calais and Boulogne-
sur-Mer. This TV series will benefit from the Tax
Rebate International (TRIP). The Nord-Pas de
Calais Film Commission (Pictanovo) helped the
production especially by finding almost 30
local professionals and more than 200 extras.

Adapted from the Scandinavian drama The
Bridge (Broen/Bron), The Tunnel is set
against the backdrop of Europe in crisis. When
a dead body is found in the Channel Tunnel, at
the exact midpoint between France and the UK,
detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wassermann
are sent to investigate on behalf of their
respective countries. However, the case takes a
surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made
at the crime scene: the upper-half body is from
a French politician woman, and the lower-half a
British prostitute. The serie stars Stephen
Dillane and Clémence Poésy as British and
French police detectives, forced to work
together into an uneasy partnership.

The first 3 episodes shown in the UK have
pulled between 240000 and 433000 viewers.

Based on the eponymous novel written by Jörg
Bong alias Jean-Luc Bannalec, bestseller in
Germany (with more than 500000 copies sold),
the producer Mathias Lösel decided to shoot an
adaptation for the first German TV Channel
ARD. The filming took place from September
9th to October 5th in southern Finistère
(Concarneau, Pont Aven, ... ). The Brittany Film
Commission helped the production with
scouting, finding locations and local
professionals.

Synopsis : Captain George Dupin is transferred
for disciplinary reasons from Paris to
Concarneau in Brittany. A few months after his
arrival, he investigates the murder of a hotel
manager in the small town of Pont-Aven and
discovers a great mystery behind the curtains
of the venerable Hotel Central: did the old
hotelkeeper Pennec own an original and yet
unknown Paul Gauguin picture?

30/10/2013

Vive la Frans on Dutch TV !

Vive la Frans, a Dutch reality TV programme is now showing on TV blik in The Netherlands.

This second season was shot entirely in France
2 weeks last June, including 8 days in West
Provence. 33,000 Euros were spent by the
production in West Provence and nearly 80,000
Euros in the area (département des Bouches du
Rhône).

The show focuses on Frans Bauer, a popular
Dutch pop singer, send on a discovery travel to
the south of France: from Fos-sur-Mer, Arles,
through Maussane Meyrargues and Istres, Franz
Bauer revisited the area's traditions, heritage &
gastronomy...

Here is the first picture of the latest movie of Oscar-winning director Stephen Frears "Unnamed Cycling Project".

The shooting started on October 18th in France.
It will occur in the Alps (in top Tour de France
locations like Alpe d'Huez, La Grave, Meije and
the Col du Galibier) Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Lille,
Valenciennes and Maing) Champagne-Ardennes
(Charleville and Hierges). This feature film will
benefit from the Tax Rebate International
(TRIP).

The film centres around Armstrong's rise
during the 1990s and early 2000s and his
battle with cancer. He and his fellow American
teammates dominate and change the
quintessentially European sport of cycling. It
also follows the cyclist's fall, framed by the
journalist Walsh's dogged pursuit of the truth
after he became suspicious that the Armstrong
miracle was in fact the Armstrong lie.
American actor Ben Foster is cycling into the
lead in the title role. Alongside him, the film
will feature Chris O'Dowd from The IT
Crowd as David Walsh, French actor
Guillaume Canet (Tell No One) in a
supporting role and Jesse Plemons, most
recently seen in Breaking Bad.

17/10/2013

Series Crossing Lines first season premieres

The American-German-French TV series
filmed partly in France, is now showing on
French channel TF1 and on NBC in the USA, on
Sat1 in Germany, on RAI in Italy and on CBC in
Canada. The shooting was mainly
done on the Riviera (Alpes Maritimes) inside
the Consular Palace in Nice and in the Paris
region. 75% of the technicians involved in the
filming in Nice were local.

Crossing Lines follows a special crime
unit set up by the International Criminal Court
to investigate serialized crimes that cross
European borders and hunt down criminals to
bring them to justice. The cast stars William
Fichtner as Carl Hickman, a wounded and
disgraced New York cop, pulled from the edge
by a group of unlikely savoirs, the French actor
Marc Lavoine as Louis Daniel, ultimately
seeking revenge for his son's murder. The unit
includes also an anti-mafia covert specialist
from Italy (Gabriella Pession as Sgt. Eva
Vittoria), and a tech specialist from Germany
(Tom Wlaschiha as Kommissar Sebastian
Berger).

The TV series has sold in more than 180
countries and filming of the second season has
already began.

17/10/2013

Jackie Chan's CZ12 on the eve of his US release

Chan writes, directs, produces and stars in
CZ12 (also known as Chinese
Zodiac), which is in the vein of his
Operation Condor, one of the earlier
films that got him noticed in the United States.
The film tells the story of JC (Jackie Chan)
searching the world for 12 Chinese Zodiac
bronze heads stolen in 1860 at the yuang ming
yuan (Summer Palace). Part of the film was
filmed in spring 2012 in several castles in
Picardy, including Chantilly, and in Paris, with
the support of the French Tax Rebate for
International Production (TRIP).

This film has been a huge success in China as
the third highest grossing Chinese film in the
country's history. Last but not least, another
great reason to see the film: Laura Weissbecker,
the French actress in a supporting role just won
the Chinese Award for ‘Best Emerging Global
Actress' at the Huading Awards early October.
The film starts in the US & Canada on
October 18, 2013.

His entirely-shot-in-France latest film will be named "Magic in the Moonlight".

French nights are obviously attractive for Woody Allen: after "Midnight in Paris", shot in the French capital in 2010 - his biggest world hit so far with $150 million worldwide, he recently wrapped up "Magic in the Moonlight", also shot in France, this time on the Riviera (Alpes Maritimes and Var).

Just like his previous French shoot, Woody Allen benefitted from the TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Promotion), and chose Raphaël Benoliel as his line producer. "Magic in the Moonlight" also received financial support from the Provence-Alpes-Côté d'Azur region.

The Illumination-Universal movie produced in IMG animation studio in Paris is now the second biggest hit of 2013!

Gru was delivering his speeches in his lab to
his minions, now more than one hundred
million viewers have enjoyed his strange accent
and his
relentless lust for life! Universal just crossed
$800M worldwide for its animated movie
Despicable Me 2, now the second biggest hit
for
2013, behind Iron Man. Produced by Chris
Meledandri and Janet Healy, the movie was
completed in Paris in the IMG animation studio.
The production received support from the
French TRIP, Tax Rebate for International
Productions. "France provides producers with
high level of skills and talents, allowing them
to get quality products, that make a lot of
money," stresses Franck Priot, COO of Film
France, the French Film Commission. "Universal
has a big hit with DM2, just as Fox enjoyed a
terrific success with Taken and Taken 2".

26/07/2013

Despicable Me 2 heads USA 2013 animation BO

Entirely made in France at IMG's, the film is the best 2013 release in the USA for an animation feature with $287M to date.

Tremendous reward for the producers Chris Meldandri and Janet Healy (Illumination Ent.): their third entirely-made-in-France animation feature is even a bigger hit that the two before it and leads the 2013 US BO for animation. It currently ranks in second position behind "Iron Man 3".

The film was made at Paris IMG's studios, by a French-American team headed by Janet Healy and Jacques Bled, for a budget massively smaller than the blockbusters made by other US studios.

The film benefits from the French TRIP (tax rebate for international production), managed by the CNC based on Film France's expertise.

17/07/2013

DiP

17/06/2013

Shooting of a Belgian series in Languedoc

07/06/2013

Annecy International Animated Film Festival

Meet Film France in Annecy from June 11th to June 14th

Film France will introduce you to the French
savoir faire, the tax rebate for
international production (TRIP), and the local
subsidies for animation.

Three regions will be present on the Ficam - Film France - Audiens booth: Aquitaine, Lorraine and Poitou-Charentes.

Other regions/counties will also be present at Annecy: Brittany, the Centre
(Ciclic), the Charente (Magelis), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Nord-Pas de Calais (Pictanovo), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes (Imaginove).

Come and get your copy of our Animation Incentives Guide, a booklet on financing animation productions in France, at the Ficam - Film France - Audiens booth (#4.B04)!

05/06/2013

A movie road in Dordogne

On Saturday June 22nd will take place for the second time a touristic rally, organized by the Dordogne Film Commission Ciné Passion en Périgord

Leaving from Bergerac, 60 vintage cars will follow the tracks of a small black horse become legendary, of an enigmatic wine merchant, a magnificent bandit, rugby players from the ancient times and the immortal knight, through the magnificent landscapes of the bergeracois vineyard... before ending their journey in the ancient country-house of Monpazier with a drive-in of the movie Jappeloup, (more than 1.6 million spectators) shot in Dordogne with the actors Guillaume Canet and Daniel Auteuil (jury member of the last Cannes Film Festival).

The prize list of the Cannes Competition honors the regions, as Nord-Pas-de-Calais supported the last movie of Abdellatif Kechiche

Adapted freely from Julie Maroh's comic strip, Blue is a warm color, the movie follows the birth and the evolution of a passion absolved between the characters of Adèle, a high school student, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos and Emma, a young woman with blue hair, student in the Fine arts ( Léa Seydoux ).

" We were favored to see this movie and not bothered ", declared Steven Spielberg, foreman of the jury, by hinting at the very raw scenes of sex of the movie.

Shot for about 100 days in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, this movie was supported by the fund of Pictanovo (formerly CRRAV) at the level of 175 000 euros. The shooting was also accompanied by the Film Commissin of Pictanovo, for pre-locations, the searchfor technicians and for comedians, the follow-up of the project all year round. The shooting had an important impact on the territory because it allowed the employment of about fifteen regional technicians and more than 400 small roles and extras participated in the movie.

Copyright: AFP/ALBERTO PIZZOLI

17/05/2013

Regions in Cannes: May 17th screening

The Cannes Festival is honoring regions today!

Today, Asghar Farhadi movie, in offical competition, The Past, was financially supported by Ile-de-France, and logistically by the film commissions of Paris and North East of Paris Film Commission (for instance, some sequences were shot at the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Nanterre, in the "salle des pas perdus").

The movie Stranger by the lake, by Alain Guiraudie, from "Un certain regard" selection, was helped by Paca (200 000 euros). The film was entirely shot in PACA for 6 weeks, from September to October 2012, in particular in the Haut Var Verdon, the Sainte Croix lake, and the Salles sur Verdon village.

Synopsis: Summertime. A cruising sport for men, tucked away on the shores of a lake. Franck falls in love with Michel. An attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man. Franck knows this, but wants to live out his passion anyway.

CONFERENCE FOR BRITISH PRODUCERS (FEATURES, DRAMAS, SERIES)
UPDATE ON THE FRENCH INCENTIVES
Co-production for features or TV series, Tax rebate for international production… Get the latest information on all the good reasons to shoot in France.
Chaired by Patrick Lamassoure, Film France, CEO.
Thursday, January 17th 2013 – from 6pm to 7:15pm
Institut français - in the “Salons”
17 Queensberry Place, LONDON SW7 2DT
(Tube: South Kensington)
(Free admission – Limited seating)
This conference is included in the Totally Serialized Industry Day, supported by MEDIA Desk UK and BAFTA. The day is designed for TV producers who are keen to foster international exchanges and co-productions in order to meet the growing demand for high-quality, European TV drama. The event is part of the second edition of the Totally Serialized festival, hosted by the Institut français in London, from 16 to 20 January 2013. For a full schedule and to register online please visit the Totally Serialized website.
Industry Day: http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/totallyserialized/industry-day/
Totally Serialized Festival: http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/totallyserialized/
Institut français in London: http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/cine-lumiere/
» http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/totallyserialized/industry-day/

15/01/2013

Champagne planned for the Academy Awards

Nominated for Best short film, Death of a Shadow is a Belgium-French co-production shot in the Champagne-Ardenne region.

Tom Van Avermaet's Death of a Shadow, starring Matthias Schoenaerts (De rouille et d'os, Bullhead), is nominated for Best Short Film - Live Action.

The film is co-produced by France (Perspective Films - Isabelle Mathy, and Delphine Schmit) and Belgium (Serendipity Films - Ellen De Waele).

It was entirely shot in the Champagne-Ardenne Region, with both a financial subsidy and the ORCCA Film Commission support. It also received funding from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) in Belgium.
» http://vimeo.com/48868469

14/01/2013

AMOUR grabs Golden Globe

Michaele Haneke's Oscar contender was awarded the Globe for Best foreign language film.

One more award for the 2012 Cannes Palme d'Or, which beats two other French contenders for Best foreign language film: Jacques Audiard's "De Rouille et d'Os" and Nakache & Toledano's "Intouchables".

Next step for Haneke's last work: the Academy Awards next month (see next story).

Arie Bohrer (Location Austria), confirmed as President of the European Film Commissions Network, expresses concerns about the EC Cinema Communication.

During their General assembly in Malaga Spain, where they were invited by the Andalucía Film Commission, the EUFCN members voted to renew part of the association board of directors. The elections resulted in the following board:

During their assembly in Malaga, European film commissioners expressed their vivid concerns regarding the European Commission Cinema Communication project. "The new rules that the EC suggests regarding territorial spending represent a direct threat to most of the local incentives that many Member states and important regions have patiently and carefully established in the past years, and which support European film and TV production, added Arie Bohrer. It looks like the EC denies the very chore of our fragile ecosystem, where creation and industry are genuinely intertwined."
» http://www.eufcn.org

04/10/2012

Film France comes to Busan!

Meet us at the Asian Film Market at our booth (B.13).

Come discover how to find money in France for your projects by picking-up a copy of our booklet the Incentives Guide, available in Korean (NEW!), Chinese and English. Contact us if you want to book an appointment : fanny@filmfrance.net

07/09/2012

Central Park... in France!

Thanks to a kickstarter.com campaign, a new hot animation feature project just found USD $40,000 to finance a proof of concept pilot.

Central Park Tale is a fresh twist on West Side Story. This timeless story of star-crossed lovers will be set against the backdrop of a squirrel turf battle in New York City's Central Park. Writer - Producer Jacqui Barcos has gathered a stellar line-up of world-class talent: Daniel Jeannette, one of Hollywood's top animation directors whose credits include Happy Feet, Hunger Games & Where the Wild Things Are. Also on board is choreographer Jamal Sims who designed the powerful street-dance sequences for the hip hop franchise Step Up. Together, they will inject the story with cutting-edge animation & gravity-defying dance moves - as the two rival squirrel clans compete over territory through raging hip hop dance battles…
Barcos states, “Mikros offers the best of both worlds -- the attention to detail & superb craftsmanship of a boutique shop, coupled with the firepower of a brand new state-of-the-art animation studio. I can't think of a better creative partner for Central Park Tale than Mikros.”
Having worked in the visual effects & animation world for the last two decades, Jeannette, a French native, knows Mikros very well. He adds, “One of the greatest benefits of making the film in France is that we will be able to draw from a large talent pool whose range in styles is incredibly broad. This will give a uniquely distinctive look to our characters and environments.”
Franck Priot, Film France's COO notes, ”An animated feature totally crafted by a French studio & with a French director? This was the winning formula of Despicable Me, totally produced in Paris with the support of our Tax Rebate for International Production. Central Park Tale is a project that falls into our parameters.”
The Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign runs until September 21th. The team just gathered USD $40,000 with a kickstarter campaign in order to finance a proof of concept pilot which is also made possible thanks to a huge investment from Mikros
» http://kck.st/QsCWS6

18/07/2012

Chinese Zodiac 2012 shooting in France

Even if you don't understand mandarin, you'll enjoy this behind-the-scene video of the Jackie Chan's production Chinese Zodiac in France!

13/07/2012

Chinese Zodiac in France : the video!

Even if you don't understand mandarin, you'll enjoy this behind-the-scene video of the Jackie Chan's production Chinese Zodiac in France!

29/06/2012

Nîmes is… A Long Way From Home

British helmer Viriginia Gilbert shoots first feature in Languedoc-Roussillon this summer.

UK first timer Virginia Gilbert is currently lensing A Long Way From Home in Nîmes (Languedoc-Roussillon), from June 17th until July 13th.

Lead cast includes Brenda Fricker, James Fox (photo), Natalie Dormer and Paul Nicholls.

Meet Film France at the AFCI Locations Show - booth 715 (Los Angeles) this June 15-16.

Woody Allen, Martin Scorcese, Chris Nolan, Clint Eastwood, Doug Liman, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Ron Howard...
The Sopranos, ER, the Amazing Race, The Hill, the Bachelor, Gossip Girl and many others...
They all came to France! Will you be next?

Destination France!
Why you should consider France for location filming as well as for animation and VFX.
You can meet Film France, the French Commission's team: Franck Priot and Melanie Chebance
And representatives of:
The Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur RegionMarseillesGuadeloupe
The Pays de la Loire Film CommissionIle de France Film Commission
Also services providers and production services companies :
Explore Entertainment
Elzevir/Boudoir
Firstep
Kanzaman
Swan France
ChezEddy

30/05/2012

NEW : The Incentives guide 2012

Why and how to make a co-production with a French partner? How to access the brand new Tax Rebate for International Production? All in a free booklet.

Film France just issued the latest version of its famous booklet " the Incentives Guide 2012". Written in English, free of charge, this handy guide aims at helping foreign producers to know whether their next feature film project or TV Dramas, series might qualify either to the French co-production system or to the new 20% off TRIP (tax rebate for international production).
The guide can also be downloaded as a PDF file. Simply click here, or follow the link below.
» http://www.filmfrance.net/v2/gb/home.cfm?choixmenu=guidecoprod

18/05/2012

250 attendees at "Producing in France"

The CNC and Film France presented the incentives available in France to a large audience of foreign producers.

Cannes, Friday May 18th 2012 - This morning in the Majestic Hotel, the CNC and Film France gave a conference to foreign producers, presenting them all the incentives available to them within the French system. Either by applying to the now famous TRIP (tax rebate for international production), or by assembling an official co-production.

More than 250 film professionals attended the two-hours presentation and case studies.

30/04/2012

French cinema on iPhone

Unifrance just launched a very comprehensive App on French cinema.

Unifrance's website already is the most comprehensive database on French films and film companies. This information is now available through an iPhone App, quite comprehensive and user friendly, in three languages (Fr, Eng, Span). It has been developped through a partnership with French trade magazine Le Film français.
» www.unifrance.org

13/03/2012

Animation Made in France triumphs!

With $120 million in 10 days, Illumination's The Lorax rules the US BO. All its images were created in Paris, with the support of the TRIP.

The Lorax is the second major hit designed, animated and rendered (in 3D!) at what is now Illumination McGuff in Paris.

The story between this studio nested in a former parking structure just a stone-throw away from the Eiffel tower and Illumination started 4 years ago: the new Universal animation arm was looking for an animation studio able to deliver the level of quality needed to play in the big boys' league, the Pixars and Blue Skys. McGuff Ligne - this was the name of the studio - was already a well-established name, having created the successfull Kirikou and Dragon Hunters movies.

So Illumination and McGuff first started to do Despicable Me, pairing French director Pierre Coffin with American Chris Renaud. In 2009, France implemented a new incentives for Foreign productions, the TRIP witch came right in time to support Despicable Me, and many other productions since then. Despicable Me producer Janet Healy moved to Paris, and never left!

Released in July 2010 by Universal, Despicable Me was an instant and major hit, reaching at the end of the day US$540 millions worlwide. It made clear to everyone that the French animation community was at the world's top level. The success of The Lorax is confirming it again, as well as Illumination's ability to develop attracting movies. What's next: Despicable Me 2, to be released on July 2013.

02/02/2012

En Route to France Award Ceremony in London

13/01/2012

The WGA votes for best screenplay

"Hugo" and "Midnight in Paris" among nominates.

The powerful WGA, Writers Guilds of America, elects the best screenplay of year 2011, on February 19th, in LA.

Among the nominated plays, we can spot two screenplays whose action takes place in Paris. The first one is the adaptation by John Logan of the novel "The invention of Hugo Cabret" written by Brian Selznick. Martin Scorsese signs the direction of the feature "Hugo", in US theaters since Nov 23rd.
Concerning the second screenplay "Midnight in Paris", the scriptwriter is also the director, Woody Allen who gets his greatest US box office success with this movie, released in last May.

The two productions benefited from the TRIP, Tax Rebate for International Productions, for their shooting in France.

The Brian Selznick's novel “The invention of Hugo Cabret”'s adaptation by Martin Scorsese is now released on French (Dec. 14th) and international screens.

In the Paris of the 1930s, the young Hugo is an orphan who lives in a train station. His past is a mystery and his destiny an enigma. The only remain he keeps a a memory of his father is a strange automaton wich heart-shaped key has to be found to make it function. When he meets Isabelle, he may have found the key, but that is the beginning of the adventure...

In 2010, the shooting led the Italo-American director and his team to Paris, to shoot few sequences of the film in real locations such as the Sainte-Geneviève Library, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, or the Amphiteater of the Sorbonne. To recreate in studios a neo-Montparnasse train station, major location of the story, Dante Ferretti, Art Director who was oscarized for his work on “Aviator” also by Scorsese and “Sweeney Todd” by Tim Burton, got inspired by ancient Orsay train station, today a museum, and by Nord and Lyon train stations! The logistical support of the Movie and shootings Service of the SNCF, allowed to access the important cultural patrimony of the French Railways, via archives and precise visits.

Paris Film, the City Council's service dedicated to the shooting teams, takes the advantage of the film's release to print a new “Film Trail” available on line.

Shot in 2010 in the Normand City of Le Havre, Aki Kaurismaki's new feature was just awarded with the Louis-Delluc Prize, that celebrates the best French Film of the year.

After its selection in Official competition at Cannes Film Festival in last may, that is a highly respected prize that “Le Havre” received, the second film shot in France by the finnish director after “La vie de bohème” in 1991.

Released on international screens, Kaurismaki's tale evoks the friendship of a writer turned out shoe cleaner and a young emigrant from Africa hiding in the harbour of Le Havre.

The film, whose shooting received the logistical support of the Upper Normandy Film Commission, was chosen by Finland to represent the country to the Oscars.

03/11/2011

Screen Gems shots Planet B-Boy in Montpellier

Planet B-Boy trailerpar ElephantEye The US production takes advantage of the venue in Languedoc Capital of the Battle of the year, Breakdance's top-contest.

In november, director Lee Benson, already the author of an eponymous documentary, invests Montpellier and its region for the shooting of a third of feature film Planet B-Boy : Battle Of The Year.
The production takes advantage of the BOTY taking place in Montpellier's Aréna, to shoot live sequences during the show."The BOTY is now a worldwide renowned event for Breakdance's followers and has become an asset for Montpellier to attract international productions" analyses Marin Rosenthiel of the Languedoc-Roussillon Film Commission.
In the script, US breakdancers are forced to join their skills to confront the world leaders of the discipline: Coreans, Russians, Frenchs. Josh Holloway (Lost), Laz Alonso (Avatar) et Chris Brown (Takers) play the main characters of the 3D-shot movie. Last summer's location scoutings encouraged Screen Gems to relocate several sequences that were supposed to be shot in California. The result is 13 days of shooting instead of the 3 initially planned, and many crew members hired in South of France, including the line producer.

Because of its dramatic content, the last of its shooting and the predictable expenses in France, Planet B-Boy:Battle of the Year benefits from the TRIP, the Tax Rebate for International Productions..

Trailer of documentary film Planet B-Boy, directed by Benson Lee in 2007.

20/10/2011

Pauline investigates in Montpellier

Marc Fitoussi chose Montpellier and its region to shoot his new film

The shooting of Marc Fitoussi's new comedy Pauline Détective is planned from October 21st till November 5th in Languedoc-Roussillon, Montpellier and its surroundings. Produced by Haut et Court the film stars Sandrine Kiberlain, Audrey Lamy, Claudio Santamaria and Marcello Mazarella. Pauline, in her forties, a dynamic layout artist for a famous criminal investigations review, believes firmly in succeding professionally and sentimentally, until the day her beloved and coward boyfriend dumps her on summer holidays' eve. Marc Fitoussi chose Montpellier and Languedoc Roussillon after the film obtained the financial support of the Region in partnership with the CNC and the logistic support of Languedoc-Roussillon Cinéma (film commission).

20/10/2011

Montpellier and its new cops

Antigone 34, first cop show of the Languedoc capital

This new tv series produced by Mascaret Film starring Anne le Nen, Claire Borotra and Bruno Todeschini and directed by Roger Simonsz, received the logistic support of Languedoc-Roussillon Cinema, of the City of Montpellier and Montpellier area. The shooting calendar is from October 20th till December 3rd in Montpellier and its surroundings. Lucky ones will have the chance to watch a preview of the first images shot, on October 21st at 1:30pm in Corum (Antigone Room) during the Cinémed Festival, and the others will have to wait until the broadcasting on the french channel France 2 in February 2012.

07/10/2011

Shooting of Labyrinth in Carcassonne

The Cathar ancient City welcomes the shooting of the mini TV-series in October, after the medieval best seller written by Kate Mosse.

It is in Carcassonne, Languedoc-Roussillon Region, that begins the shooting of Labyrinth, the mini TV-series (2x90'), directed by Christopher Smith (Black Death), on the locations depicted in Kate Mosse's novel, wich sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.

Since April 2011, Languedoc-Roussillon Cinéma, the Regional Film Commission, has been collaborating with the production on this project, also supported by various local institutions. Regional extras and technicians work along with the international crew.

For the first time this year, Film France has a booth at the BIFCOM, the convent for shooting destinations, in Busan, Korea.

Film France will attend the BIFCOM, the convent for shooting destinations, that starts on Oct. 10th, in the same time than Busan Film Festival, the major annual meeting for Asian Cinema authors."This year, BIFCOM merges with the Asian Film Market, gathering in the same place several events that were organized separately until now, strenghthening the interest of the professional meetings of Busan. We take the advantage of this new opportunity, explains Franck Priot, Deputy manager of Film France, while the successive shootings of directors like Tsai Ming-Liang or Hong Sang- Soo demonstrated the interest of Asian authors for France".
In addition to a booth at the Asian Film Market (Oct. 10th-13th), Film France organizes a conference on shootings in France, on Oct. 10th.
On its booth, the organization accomodates Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region and Keystone Films, French production company specialized in Korean Films in France.

On the occasion of the traditional evening of Busan Film Festival, inaugurating with the official screening of the French film The Artist, the Korean director Hong Sang Soo (Tale of Cinema, Ha Ha Ha) will receive the award "En route to France". He actually shot in Paris in 2007 the movie Night and Day. Created by Film France last year, the award "En route to France" honours and thanks directors and movies stars who came to shoot in our country.
Held in April 2011 in Chennai, India, the first Edition notably distinguished the tremendous local star Kamal Haasan."Considering an artist like Hong Sang Soo, higly respected but whose budgets remain tight, being able to shoot in France, delivers in Asia a very positif signal about our country, says Franck Priot, Deputy manager of Film France. He adds, "The Korean productions shooting in France are mostly TV-series like Lovers in Paris, Terroir (shot in Bordeaux), or I Believe in Love. They often get screened in whole Asia. TV is definitly an important target, that is why we'll meet here the scriptwriter Eun-sook Kim, one of the greatest showrunners in Korea."

17/08/2011

Midnight In Paris over $50,000,000!

Woody Allen movie shot in France, is passing the $50 million mark this week at the North America domestic market.

Shot last summer entirely on location in Paris, the Woody Allen movie passes the $50 million at the American box-office today. It is still playing on 328 screens four months after its release, which was timed for the Cannes film festival presentation.

"We are very happy with the success the movie is enjoying, says Franck Priot at Film France, the French Film Commission, as we were helping the filmakers to make happen this movie as early as 2006!. As soon as we read the screenplay when the film applied to the new French Tax Rebate for International Productions (TRIP) , we were convinced it would be a success".

The TRIP was the key factor that helped the filmakers to gather the budget they needed. Produced by Letty Aaronson, the film was co-produced by Helen Robin and Raphael Benoliel, who also served as the line producer in France for the movie shot with a totally French crew.

29/07/2011

France hosting the shooting of a Chinese series

The shooting of the Chinese series Nos années françaises took place in Paris and now Burgundy for ten days.

For the 90th anniversary of the creation of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese TV Channel CCTV1 will broadcast the series Nos années françaises directed by Kang Hong Lei and currently shot in Autun (Burgundy).
This 30 x 52 min series which takes place in the 1920 is based on historical facts which tell the « Travail-Etude » (Work-Study) Movement. In Burgundy, over 100 local actors, extras and techinicians are working on the shoot.
The French production service company Bayoo took care of the pre-production of the shooting since last winter while another part of the series was beeing shot in Shanghai.
Although this series won't be released on French television, it reflects one more time the ability and will of France to host foreign productions.

27/07/2011

Hugo Cabret by Martin Scorsese

Next December in theatres: The Invention of Hugo Cabret Martin Scorsese's first 3D movie

Last Summer, Martin Scorsese shot a costume film The Invention of Hugo Cabret during ten days in Paris. This film is based on the eponymous novel by Brian Selznick. Paris had to go thru a transformation phase and was brought back to the 1930', especially around the Opera and the Sorbonne University.
Since the TRIP, Tax rebate for international production, was established in 2009, about forty foreign productions have come to shoot in France. GK Films (USA) has for the second time applied to the TRIP after The Tourist.
This 3D adventure which will come out on the 14th of December stars three British actors: Asa Butterfield Nanny McPhee et le Big Bang, Ben Kingsley Shutter Island, and Sacha Baron Cohen Brüno.

25/07/2011

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - January 2012

Strasbourg hosted the film directed by Guy Ritchie…Its audience will have to be patient for another few months before its release on screen.

Last February, the city of Strasbourg hosted an explosive part of the shoot of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on the Cathedral square. This four day shoot was the completion of the Film Commission of Strasbourg's preparation since the fall along with the line production company Peninsula. Estelle Zimmermann made the coordination between the different city services involved a lot easier.
The film will be released on the 25th of January 2012, but the trailer is now available.
The English production Skyline Films benefited from the TRIP, the Tax Rebate for International Production initiated in 2009. Since then, this strong incentive measure has attraced about forty films from abroad to France, among which Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen, Hereafter by Clint Eastwood, and Inception by Chris Nolan.

13/07/2011

Focus on Languedoc-Roussillon

Le Moine (The Monk) Dominik Moll's last film benefited from the financial support of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region along with the CNC

The new film of Dominik Moll Le Moine Staring Vincent Cassel and Déborah François came out on July the 13th.
Partly shot in Languedoc-Roussillon, this film received precious help and support from Languedoc-Roussillon Cinema and the CNC.
L'abbaye de Fontfroide (Aude), le Canal de la Robine (Aude) and the Fort de Bellegrade au Perthus (Pyrénées Orientales) hosted the shooting for about 10 days in June 2010.
In total, 22 local technicians worked on the film.
Marin Rosenstiehl from the Languedoc-Roussillon Film Commission: « Initially, the film was to be shot entirely in Spain. Since the production decided to partly shoot the film in France, it benefited from the French Tax Rebate. Therefore, the production along with the Film Commission looked for locations on the other side of the border, in Languedoc-Roussillon. Then, the film was helped by the Support Fund. This was a short shoot, nevertheless, it was really interesting in terms of economic and cultural impact ».

04/07/2011

Production Guide on line

The 2011-2012 edition of the Production Guide is now available on line on the Film France website.

The latest edition of the Production Guide is now available to be consulted and downloaded as a pdf on www.filmfrance.net In this new edition, more pictures illustrate the country, they are all organized into 13 sections; the modern city, the old city, the mountain etc. and one new topic called the World in France, presenting places and landscapes that could belong to another country. Moreover, each film commission has its page with a picture, a map of the region, and the contact information. In this Guide, you will find practical information to organize your shoots in France (film commissions's services, laws and regulations, film permit process, logistics...)
Now there is one version in French and another one in English.
Two linguistic versions with two different covers. For the first time, the English version has an 8th chapter which is the 2011 edition of the Incentives Guide.
Enjoy the reading of the new Production Guide.
» http://www.filmfrance.net/v2/gb/home.cfm?choixmenu=guidepratique

10/06/2011

The Oppo Telecom commercial shot in Paris

The full version of the Chinese commercial for Oppo Telecom which was shot in Paris with Leonardo Dicaprio last April is now available on line

Last April, Leonardo Dicaprio was spotted running on the bridge Alexandre III. Lately, the American actor was seen in Shutter Island by Martin Scorsese and Inception by Christopher Nolan. This time, he came to shoot a Chinese commercial selling a cellphone. The Chinese production Amoeba Entertainement let Jeremy Haccoun direct the film. This Young french director is settled in Los Angeles. The Line Production was carried out by JackLine, a french company. The wole shooting lasted four days and was supported by Paris Film (Mission Cinéma) and Film France.
The full version of this commercial is now available on line. It will also reveal the young french model Marine Vatch. The supporting actress recently played in Cedric Klapish's last film Ma Part du Gâteau.

31/05/2011

June 2nd - 5th : MEET FILM FRANCE IN LOS ANGELES

...and the French regions...Learn more about the TRIP and local incentives

Since it kicked off, the TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Production) has granted about US$30 million to 34 features, TV series, animation works and VFX made in France, including 18 US projects.
Films and series such as INCEPTION, HEREAFTER, THE TOURIST, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, SHERLOCK HOLMES 2, DESPICABLE ME, THOR, GOSSIP GIRL… all benefited from this 20% rebate for their French expenses.

Attending the upcoming AFCI LOCATIONS Trade Show and PGA "PRODUCED BY" Conference, Film France will lead a delegation of French regions and line producers to Los Angeles, from June 2nd to 5th.

Come and meet us at the show, at the Disney Studios in Burbank, on our booth #306-308.

Early February 2011, the Castle of Chambord and Vaux-le-Vicomte hosted, for six days, a film crew from the brazilian channel TV Globo. Cordel Encantado is a costume telenovela directed by Ricardo Waddington which has been broadcasted since April on one of the main Brazilian TV channels. The Center region and the Castle of Chambord were especially chosen as the background location of this series.
The Renaissance style of this castle was the perfect place to let both main themes convert.
The series is a mix between a magic perception of European royalty and Brazilian myths and legends.
Jérôme Parlange from the Film Commission of Centre said,'70 French technicians, including 12 from the Centre region worked on this shooting. 40 Brazilians were also there, they were directly related to the project, working for the ; production, directing, photography, sound, and actors. An other 350 extras from the Centre region were also part of the shooting.'
Chris Brunell who coordinated the executive production with Swan and Apatride.TV explains : 'We renewed a successful partnership with TV Globo thanks to the constructive and rewarding dialogue we had with them.''To be able to shoot in a very prestigious and recognizable monument such as Chambord is an asset to bring all the way here the film crew of a Brazilian telenovelas. Through this, Chambord gets a quite unique exposure in a main hit series broadcasted in a country of 190 732 694 millions of inhabitants, says Franck Priot the deputy director of Film France. We were happy to help along with the coordination of all the different partners.'

On november 2010, APC launched a new cooperative program named "P2P" (Producer to Producteur) aimed at developing exchanges and production experiences through filmed interviews between an American and a French producers.

01/04/2011

Midnight in Paris: first trailer available

The latest Woody Allen opus, which will open the 2011 Cannes Film Fest, unveils its first images.

The prestigious Villa Rocabella often hosts cinema and television shootings.

From February 20th to February 25th, the famous Dutch TV show De beste zangers van Nederland was shot in the prestigious Rocabella Villa located in the Var, southern France. Michel Brussol from the Var Film Commission : " The Rocabella Villa has already been used in the past as a shooting location for both cinema and TV productions, and should host other projects in the future." This entertaining musical show has been broadcasted for the past two years on the Dutch television channel TROS. Here is the concept: famous singers cover famous hits from other famous singers and get ranked on how good their performance was. The previous seasons were shot in Ibiza. This year, the Dutch show was looking for something typically french and very classy. Xavier Roy the Line Producer from Froggie Production coordinated the shooting of this third season in the Var along with the logistic support of the Var Film Commission. " About € 200 000 were spent, covering housing, catering, local technicians salaries, material and location rent says Xavier Roy the Line Producer."
This new season of De beste zangers van Nederland will be aired on TROS in March.

01/03/2011

French TV Series hosted in the Reunion Island

Une place au soleil is the title of the two part episode from the fifth season of the french series Section de Recherches. These episodes were directed by Gérard Marx on the Reunion Island from November 25th to December 17th 2010. The series shot in several locations such as Saint Denis, Sainte Marie, Saint Gilles les Bains, La Saline les Bains, Saint Pierre and the Volcano ‘Piton de la Fournaise'.
The Association for the Development of Cinema, Audiovisual and Multimedia in the Reunion and the Indian Ocean (ADCAM) through the local Film Commission helped the french police series with logistic support. This show has been successfully broadcasted on TF1 since May 2006. The Producer Dominique Lancelot, from Auteurs Associés, built her team and had local extras and technicians complete it.
The two episodes shot in the Reunion Island will end the broadcast of this series in April on the french TV channel TF1.

27/02/2011

A police series in Montpellier

Montpellier hosts 3 episodes of a police series.

Three episodes from the police series Antigone 34 directed by Louis-Pascal Couvelaire and produced by Mascaret Films will be shot in the southern town of Montpellier, from February 14th to April 1st. In this police series, three very different characters will join their skills to confront a common strong enemy.
Some of the shooting locations will be Montpellier downtown, the medicine school, a campus, the police station and a protestant cemetery. Some other scenes will take place in different towns from the region such as Mauguio, Carnon, Palavas les Flots, St Gély du Fesc, Villeneuve les Maguelone, Juvignac and Saint André de Buèges.

The region of Languedoc-Roussillon in partnership with the CNC (National Center of Cinematography) are financially supporting the series. Moreover the Film Commission of Languedoc-Roussillon along with the community and the city of Montpellier are also helping the shooting with logistic support.
Many local technicians, comedians and extras are a part of this shooting. Once completed, the series will be screened on the TV channel France 2.

18/02/2011

US producer Charles Roven interviewed

The interview is part of the program P2P launched by French producers' union APC.

On november 2010, APC has launched a new cooperative program named "P2P" (ProducertoProducteur) which is aimed at developing exchanges of views and production experiences through filmed interviews between an American and a French producers.
For the first edition Partizan's M. Georges Bermann interviewed Scottfree's Mr. Tony Scott.For this second edition, French NEF Films' producer, Cuotemoc Malle, interviews Atlas Ent.'s Chuck Roven about the script to screen journey of "Season of the Witch" and much much more.... . This interview can be watched here.

Mid-december 2010, the shooting of the German miniseries of 4 x 90 minutes was finalised. The production company Bavaria Fernsehproduktion, spent €900 000 over 4 months. This expense covered the food, housing, material rent and the technicians' salaries. It is interesting to point out that among the team, 34 technicians came from the region as well as 11 actors and 524 fees for extras. (source : filmsenbretagne)

During the filming process of this miniseries, the town council along with the community of Quimper joined their resources to help and support the German production.
Catherine Delalande from the Film Commission of Brittany, a member of the Film France network, explains the importance of this shooting : ‘Wilde Wellen is the first significant shooting in Quimper and Cornouaille, it will be the starting point for our town council, of a new policy regarding the film production's hosting process. Moreover the Film Commission of the region will provide a production guide.'

Eric Vighetti the head of the tourist center of Quimper explained that beyond the Financial benefits from hosting a film crew, there will most likely be a lot of tourists after the broadcasting on ZDF of Wilde Wellen scheduled over the Spring in Germany. 'It is the second significant international shooting to come in Brittany over a few months after Dinard hosted One Day, staring Ann Hathaway, points out Franck Priot from Film France.'

11/02/2011

Strasbourg hosts Sherlock Holmes 2

Strasbourg returns to the 19th century for the most spectacular shooting of Guy Ritchies' film.

Early February, Strasbourg's cathedral square was quite busy : the bourgeois' horse-cars and the Alsacian working class await the festivities celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the reunion between the region and the German Reich...Obviously we are talking about Strasbourg in 1890. Warner studio recreated it for Sherlock Holmes 2 directed by Guy Ritchie. This is the third time over eighteen months that Warner has used France as a filming location; let's remember Inception by Christopher Nolan and Hereafter by Clint Eastwood.

Estelle Zimmermann, Strasbourg's Film Commissioner said, « 250 extras and 90 local technicians were hired by Peninsula Film, which takes care of the executive production of this film in France. The crew along with the extras invested the Cathedral Neighboorhood, and negotiated the closing of the shops. The shooting was well recieved by the residents who supported the production. »
Moreover, the production has spent €1.8 milllions in Strasbourg.

Franck Priot the deputy director of Film France said, « The sequence shot here is, even for a studio, extremely spectacular and complex. The city of Strasbourg was really supportive of the project and made it happen. Thank to this cordial welcome along with the Tax rebate for international production, we were able to host this shooting whereas our British mates were also thinking about hosting it. They wanted to shoot in studios with a green-screen, digital system and avoid moving the crew around. »

The Film Commission of Strasbourg was deeply involved in the preparation of the shooting, ensuring in particular the city services coordination.

Photo : Benoit_Linder_CUS

04/02/2011

Woody's Midnight in Paris to open Cannes Fest

Woody Allen's latest feature was entirely shot in the city of lights, thanks to the French Tax rebate for international production.

It definitely was the hottest summer shoot in Paris: in July 2010, Woody Allen and his lead cast Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard were seen everywhere in the French capital streets for "Midnight in Paris".

The master had been thinking about this project since 2005, but could not trigger it until France started offering the new 20% rebate on foreign films (TRIP), which was launched in early 2009.

Thanks to this tax rebate designed by Film France and the Ficam, voted by the French Parliament and carried through by the Ministry of Culture and the CNC, with the suport of the Ministry of Finance, Woody's producers managed to close the financing and lauch this now tremendously expected feature.

"Midnight in Paris" shoot was strongly supported by Film France and Paris Film (Mission Cinéma), which supervizes all shoots inside the capital. It also was supported by the Ile-de-France Film Commission.

The TRIP (Tax rebate for international production) has so far been granted to 29 projects for a total local expenditure of euros110 million. It is managed by the CNC, based on Film France's expertises on each application.

25/01/2011

The Provence region and Paris Oscar nominated!

Rachid Bouchareb's "Hors la loi" received coin from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and was supported by Paris Film.

As the Academy Award nominees' list has just been disclosed, one could hear champaign pop up in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region: Rachid Bouchareb's "Hors la loi", officially submitted by Algeria, is nominated in the "Foreign laguage film" section. Produced by Tessalit Productions, the film tapped coin from the PACA region and then, when shooting in Paris, was supported by Paris Film (Mission Cinéma - Marie de Paris).

Also to be mentionned: nomination for Sylvain Chomet's "The Illusionnist" (Best animated film) and the famous Chris Nolan's "Inception", partially shot in France and benefitting from the French TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Production).

24/11/2010

Tony Scott's interview by Georges Bermann

The interview is part of the program P2P launched by French producers' union APC.

On november 2010, APC has launched a new cooperative program named "P2P" (ProducertoProducteur) which is aimed at developing exchanges of views and production experiences through filmed interviews between an American and a French producers.
For the first edition Partizan's M. Georges Bermann interviews Scottfree's Mr. Tony Scott about producing American Style as his two films "Unstoppable" and "Welcome to the Rileys" just released in France. This interview can be watched here.

25/10/2010

MovieMed, January 20th & 21st 2011 in Ouarzazate

Film France co-organize MovieMed, the Symposium for Film-tourism in the Mediterranean sea. Apply for awards until december 19th !

A year after launching the Symposium in Marseilles, that is now the turn of the city of Ouarzazate in Morocco, to welcome MovieMed in January 2011 where professionals of the Tourism and the Audiovisual Production of the Greater Mediterranean will meet. The purpose of MovieMed is to encourage links between the two sectors. Animations such as workshops, master classes, project markets are available during these two days of meetings in the heart of Morocco.
Film France takes part in organizing MovieMed, besides the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Marseille-Provence, to encourage partnerships between audiovisual and tourism sectors and enhance the practices already in progress.

Notice to Holders of film and tourism projects related to the Mediterranean: registration for the awards and meetings are open!» www.moviemed.ccimp.com

04/10/2010

Chris Gorak and Wong Kar-Wai take a TRIP to France

"The Darkest Hour" and "The Grandmasters" are the 2 latest contenders for the French tax rebate.

On September 27th, the CNC has greenlighted two new foreign films for the TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Production), based on Film France's expertise.
The two films are Chris Gorak's sci fi "The Darkest Hour", and Wong Kar-Wai's "The Grandmasters".
For both titles, the French outfit Angele & Fine will serve as line producer, for VFX works to be created by Buf Cie.
Since the beginning of 2010, the TRIP benefited to 20 films or TV series, for a total French located spending of euros77 million.

28/09/2010

Just Inès completed

Dancing Brave Pictures' Just Inès completed

Partly shot in the Pyrenees­ region of France, Just Inès by British writer/director Marcel Grant has recently been finished and is now in negotiation with both UK and French distributors.
The film has been selected at the International Film Festival Mannheim Heidelberg in Germany and the Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt, both in
international competition. French actress Caroline Ducey, best known for her role in Catherine Breillat's Romance, plays the title character Inès."Caroline is an outstanding actress. She gave Inès everything. Her face was translucent with emotion", says Grant. "Caroline brought such strength in frailty to
Inès. I know this sounds like a paradox, but so is Inès," continues Grant, "there is a potency to her that she managed to capture beautifully."
After the very positive result of shooting in France and the support of Film France, Grant is thinking of returning to the country for his next project.
Please find trailers of all Dancing Brave Pictures:
» www.dancingbravepictures.com

23/09/2010

10 Hollywood screenwriters scouting France

"France Unlimited Access" aims at inspiring US top US screenwriters with stories and characters set in France.

"Cities on the Borders: Metz & Nantes", which is the 3rd edition of "France Unlimited Acess" has officially started! Initiated by Film France and the Los Angeles French Film & TV Office of the US French Ambassy, the event aims at inspiring top ranking US screenwriters with French venues, stories and characters.
After Paris and Marseille (2008), then Tahiti (2009), this year's 10 VIP guests have arrived Monday and headed directly to the Lorraine and the Pays de la Loire regions, and their two capitals Metz and Nantes.
If you want to be updated on their adventure, please visit the event's blog.
"Cities on the Borders: Metz & Nantes" is organized by the regions Lorraine and Pays de la Loire and their film commissions. The sponsors are Air Tahiti Nui (official sponsor for 3 years) and the SNCF (French rail company).
Local partners : SEM des Pays de la Loire, Comité régional de tourisme de Lorraine, Ville de Metz, Office de tourisme de Metz, Office de tourisme Nantes Métropole, Ohlala! Loire-Atlantique, Angers Loire Tourisme, Office de Tourisme de Verdun, Comité départemental de tourisme de l'Anjou, Saint-Nazaire Tourisme & Patrimoine.
» http://franceunlimited.blogspot.com/

21/06/2010

In theaters: Killers benefited from the TRIP

Partly shot in France in 2009, the Lionsgate's film was the first feature to benefit from the new French tax incentive.

Lionsgate production's Killers, starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl, will be released in France on June 23rd.

Shot for 12 days in Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer in 2009, with the support of the French Riviera Film Commission and of Film France, Killers was the first feature to benefit from the new TRIP (tax rebate for international production) set up in France to lure foreign shoots.

Why and how to make a co-production with a French partner? How to access the brand new Tax Rebate for International Production? All in a free booklet.

Film France just issued the latest version of its famous booklet "Producing Movies in France: the Incentives Guide 2010".
Written in English, free of charge, this handy guide aims at helping foreign producers to know whether their next feature film project might qualify either to the French co-production system or to the new 20% off TRIP (tax rebate for international production).
The hard copy of the guide can be requested through Film France's English version website; it can also be downloaded as a PDF file. Simply click here, or follow the link below.
» http://www.filmfrance.net/v2/gb/home.cfm?choixmenu=guidecoprod

27/04/2010

The biggest studio MOCAP in France

SolidAnim announces a new 32 cameras vicon MX40 complete capture system and become the biggest Motion Capture Studio in France.

SolidAnim, a Paris, France-based innovative Animpation company for 3D Animation, gaming and SFX, with an UK bases subsidiary, is pleased to announce his strategic equipment of a complete 32 cameras MX40+ capture system to enlarge the capture stage and the possibilities of multi character facial, body and sound simulaneous capture. With this state-of-the-art solution for body & facial motion and sound in a larger stage. "With a 32 cameras system, we are proud to become the biggest professional mocap studio in France! Thus we can customize configurations of 8,16, 32 cameras mocap stage for both facial and body and meet our customers' needs on both quality and quantity." says Emmanuel Linot, Animation Director at SolidAnim. Now SolidAnim proposes a complete offer to his customers : - 2 stages of 150m2 and 210m2 -Dressing rooms and a cosy management production room with a direct stage view-32 cameras Vicon MX40+ complete system - 18 cameras Optitrack system for on set and on customer site mocap -Workshop provides props upon request -Professional services for audio: sounds, voicies capture and post - A dedicated professional team for creative and production direction.
» www.solidanim.com

22/02/2010

Next Woody Allen to benefit from French TRIP

February CNC committee meeting greenlighted 3 features and one TV series for tax rebate.

On February 18th, CNC's president Véronique Cayla gave a go to four new projects that will benefit from the French TRIP – tax rebate for international production.

This 4 productions fitted the TRIP criteria, and scored the necessary number of points on the « Cultural test », as stated by Film France which assists the CNC on that matter.
These 4 projects should be spending a total of euros13.5 million in France.

Since it started, the TRIP has already been granted to 15 productions (13 features and 2 TV shows) from four different countries (US, UK, Japan and Gabon) for a total French spend of euros90 million.

12/02/2010

Film France in Berlin 12th - 18th Feb

Contact us for co-productions with France and information about the Tax Rebate for International Production.

Film France reps will be available to foreign producers, advising them about co-productions with France, and about the very new TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Production). Do not hesitate to get in touch with us for appointments in Berlin (melanie@filmfrance.net). We'll be based with the EUFCN (European Film Commissions Network) on the Media umbrella booth (EFM).

09/02/2010

Tax Rebate for International Production

A second round of French tax rebate served to 6 other productions!

Two pics lensed last year will receive the French tax rebate retroactively: INCEPTION by Chris Nolan and HEREAFTER by Clint Eastwood both produced by Warner and handled in France by production services company Peninsula Film.
Also to benefit this time is UK production Fountain of life Ltd's project LOVE & VIRTUE by Raoul Ruiz, which shoot will be handled by Timoz & Cie.
Paris-based animation/VFX company McGuff Ligne successfully submited for THE LORAX, 2nd animation film in France produced by Universal.
French company Angel & Fine owned by Pierre Buffin (from VFX / toon BUF Compagnie) will also benefit from the TRIP for THOR, a Marvel production, for which BUF will be the lead VFX vendor.
Last but not least, Valentine Productions, company of Duran, will handle the whole spatialization of UNDERWORLD for Lakeshore.
The total expenditure in France for these six projects will be around $62 million. End 2009 five international projects had already been granted the rebate from 3 different countries.
Film France, which assists the CNC by providing its expertise on each TRIP application, is delighted by these decisions and by the diversity of the supported projects.

28/01/2010

Call for entries feature films PARIS CINEMA

Entry forms and regulations are available online at www.pariscinema.org

A 3D musical about Theseus, a thriller in a mysterious island, a tv series about the olive tree, a period epic in Andalousia...

These TV or cinema productions have been chosen for the economic, touristic and cultural interest they represent for the Mediterranean regions which will host their filming.
Their producers will be invited to come and present on January 18th in Marseille their projects before a jury composed of a dozen decision-makers from the tourism, economic development and audiovisual industries of six Mediterranean countries : Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Lebanon and France.“It is the first time that a Project Market has put at the centre of selection the regions likely to host the film projects, to benefit directly from their production and distribution, and thus to give them their support”, explains Richard Bower of the Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organiser of MovieMed, an event supported by the European programme Invest in Med.
The six selected projects are :
• La route des oliviers, feature / documentary series by Michel Noll, tracing through the millenia the fabulous story of the tree which gives so much to the identity of the Mediterranean (France).
• Does Anything Ever Happen, feature film by Robert MacLean, a thriller whose intriguing plot takes us from Glasgow to a beautiful Mediterranean island (UK).
• La Méditerranée d'Albert Camus, Amour de vivre, 52' documentary by Luis Ortas Pau, on the writer and Nobel Prize winner who notably lived in Algeria and France (Spain).
• Al Andalus, feature film by Ahmed Atef, an epic fresco set in 9th century Andalusia and Europe, against a background of flamenco (Egypt).
• Le vent à Djemila, documentary series, 13 X 43' by Eric Capitaine, on the winds around the world (France).
• Mythology Rocks in 3D, feature film by Kira Madallo Sesay, an action musical revisiting the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur, filmed in 3D (USA).» www.moviemed.ccimp.com

28/12/2009

5 productions funded by the TRIP !

On December 23rd, 5 Foreign productions shot in France were qualified as eligible for the new French Tax Rebate for International Productions (TRIP).

"The first five TRIP-supported projects go from a BBC TV series - Merlin - to animated and live action Hollywood movies, including a Japanese feature. This diversity of projects shows how efficient and useful this new incentive is, says Patrick Lamassoure, managing director of Film France. The films also reflect France's variety of landscapes and assets: the list includes Lionsgate "Killers", with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, directed by Robert Luketic. Scott Aversano produced this romantic comedy shot in the French Riviera's iconic landmarks. Another of the TRIP-supported projects is Universal's "Despicable Me" (image), an animated feature produced in Paris' McGuff Ligne studio. The movie, opening in July in the States, is produced by Janet Healy ("Shark Tales") and Chris Melandandri ("Ice Age"). Also BBC series "Merlin" comes to Picardy for 3 months a year in order to film in and around the gorgeous castle of Pierrefonds, which stands for the Camelot castle of the Round-table legends !
The global amount of the rebate awarded to the five projects is around 6 millions Euros (US $ 9 millions).

02/12/2009

The French Tax Rebate (TRIP) is in place

Film France greets the official publication Tuesday Dec 1st of the regulations establishing the Tax Rebate for International Productions

“This long awaited measure is extremely important for the development of the whole audiovisual cinema industry, particularly in the troubled times the sector is going through", says Nicolas Traube, president of Film France. One of the primary missions of Film France is to promote the film and audiovisual industry to national and foreign productions. This agency has indeed been working for several years with the CNC, the national body in charge of the new mechanism, and in complete adequacy with the technical industries, on the setup of the new tax rebate and its technical details.
The implementation of the law is retroactive to Jan 1st 2009 and a few foreign productions shot in France this year are likely to apply for it in the next weeks. Inception by Chris Nolan (with Leonardo Di Caprio & Marion Cotillard) filmed in Paris in August, Five Killers by Robert Luketic, shot in Nice last March
or the BBC series Merlin that chose the castle of Pierrefonds in Picardy as main location. “We have already noticed this year a significative extension of the shoots for Hollywood films in France, with an average length that changed from 3 to 7 days” notices Patrick Lamassoure, General Manager of Film France. “In 2010 with the
law now fully in place, we expect filmshoots set off by this new law because filmmakers like Woody Allen have already confirmed us that such a measure would increase their ability to come and film in France.”The new law establishes thus a 20% tax rebate on eligible spend in France for foreign productions that film at least 5 days in the country and spend there at least 1 million euros.Film France is delighted of the quality of the collaboration it maintained throughout with the concerned ministries (Culture, Finance) and the decisive support this measure has received from the French president.

Contact/ Questions: rebate@filmfrance.net

23/11/2009

MovieMed, 18 & 10 January 2010 - Marseille

Film France is a partner of MovieMed, at the crosscroads of tourism and film production.

MovieMed will take place on January 18th and 19th 2010 in Marseille. It's a new event designed to be the crossroads between the tourism and audiovisual sectors, offering two days of meetings and free training sessions. Over the two days it will explore the interactions between the audiovisual sector and the economic development of the territories which host film production.
The MovieMed"Project Market" is the first event in Europe to promote the development of closer links and interaction between the film and tourism sectors. It invites cinema, television and web producers to present their projects before an audience of decision-makers from the audiovisual and tourism sectors of the Mediterranean area (Egypt, France, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia). These decision-makers are looking for films and programmes to be shot in their territories with a view to their being vehicles for economic development or communication.Application forms (limited to one per structure) in English or in French are available on the MovieMed site and are to be completed and sent directly on line or by mail to richard.bower@ccimp.com before midnight December 21st 2009.
» http://www.moviemed.ccimp.com

24/10/2009

Clint Eastwood & Ajith Kumar

The filming of Mr Eastwood's "Hereafter" & Mr Kumar's "Asal" have just ended this Friday Oct 23rd. Both shoots took place in Rhone-Alpes & Paris.

HEREAFTER is a thriller about a group of individuals that battle with what happens in the afterlife. Three stories located in London, the US and France. Belgian actress Cecile de France stars as Marie, one of the main characters.
The filming of HEREAFTER started at the foot of Europe's highest peak The Mont Blanc in the Rhone-Alpes region (south east of France) and went on to Paris where the crew took hold of the Cite de l'Architecture, a restaurant at the Place de la Madeleine, a Post office and a street in the 17th district. Peninsula Films (John Bernard) handled the shoot for France. The film is produced by Rob Lorenz & Kathleen Kennedy.

Other shoot these last weeks: ASAL, a big Indian production in the Tamil language. After 3 weeks in Lyon, Tignes, Annecy, they came to finish their trip to France in Paris.
Star Ajith Kumar plays main hero opposite Hindi actress Sameera. The company Prodywood (Sabrina Suchdev) handled the shoot in France.

Thanks to all for coming!

23/10/2009

France Unlimited Acess 2: the after-party in L.A.

A short video of the "after-event" Mission Tahiti reception at the French Consul's residence in LA.

02/10/2009

France: Unlimited Access 2 - Mission Tahiti

The second edition of France: Unlimited Access took place from September 16th to 24th

Eight Hollywood screenwriters discovered the diverse beauty and culture of the various islands throughout Tahiti.

During this seven-day, six-night trip, the screenwriters visited the islands of Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Huahine, and Hiva Oa. The project was made possible through a partnership between Film France, Tahiti Tourisme, Air
Tahiti Nui and the Los Angeles Film & Television Office of the French Embassy, with the support of the Tahiti Film Office.

The innovative and ambitious program was created to encourage story lines for potential Hollywood films from a cultural and historical perspective, as well as to introduce the scenic beauty into current and future filming projects. The goal is to inspire and raise awareness of the destination to these screenwriters and beyond, which may offer an opportunity for the islands of Tahiti to welcome more filming projects in the coming years.

...Film France will host a presentation during the "Match Making sessions". Open to all foreign TV and animation producers, this presentation will include all details about the new Tax Rebate for International Production (TRIP), a 20% cut on French expenses for foreign projects. During its stay, Film France will be located on the Ile de France Film Commission's booth, joining Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Aquitaine and the Tahiti Film Office.
» http://www.mipworld.com/en/MIPCOM/Conferences-events/Matchmaking-networking-events/

Stephen Sommers realized why Paris was the most film-friendly city in the world. It's the only place where they will actually let you blow up one entire iconic landmark.
» http://vimeo.com/5786287

02/07/2009

Brussels validates the French Tax Rebate

2nd July 2009: Validation of the European Commission of the Tax Rebate for International Production voted last December by the French Parliament.

It is done: with the approval of Brussels, the French tax rebate voted last December has now passed a crucial step. The European Commission has therefore also validated the cultural test, defining the conditions of eligibility of films and TV films that will have access to this mechanism.

"This new tax rebate aims at encouraging foreign directors and producers to come and shoot films and TV films linked to the French and European culture on our territory by giving them a tax rebate on their French production expenditures." explains the newly appointed Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterand.

"Film France is delighted by this further step towards the complete implementation of this mechanism we believe so much in and for which we have fought boldly together with our friends of the technical services sector." said Nicolas Traube, president of Film France, an association financed by the CNC. "Let us meet again in 6 months to see the first effects on employment and level of activity in our sector."

A few productions, incl. Merlin (Shine Limited/ BBC) and Five Killers by Robert Luketic (Lionsgate) had already been shooting since Jan 1st and were waiting for the confirmation of the cultural test to submit an application to claim the rebate.

Applications for the Tax Rebate for International Production (TRIP) will be handled by the CNC, assisted in this task by Film France.

Meet your key contacts for shooting in France at the LTS (April 16-18)

FILM COMMISSIONS & SUPPORT FUNDS (booth #714-716) :
- FILM FRANCE : Coordinating a network of 40 film commissions in France and overseas territories, Film France assists foreign producers for their shoots in France, providing information and contacts. Film France also is the key contact for projects aiming at the new TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Production),
- Mission Cinema-PARIS FILM
- POITOU-CHARENTES CINEMA
- PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D'AZUR FILM COMMISSION & SUPPORT FUND
- SOUTH OF FRANCE FILM COMMISSION - VAR
-SOUTHERN ALPS FILM COMMISSION
- MARSEILLE FILM OFFICE
- ILE DE FRANCE FILM COMMISSION (booth #715-717)

French parliament voted yesterday the 18 th of December a new law creating a tax-break for Foreign tv and movie productions shot in France.

Their producers will get back 20 % of their spendings in France from the State, with a cap of 4 M (5,4 M US$ per production). The eligible spendings will be French labor costs, technical equipments and rentals, as well as food and transportation.

The system proposed by Film France, the French Film Commission, and the FICAM (Audiovisual Industries Organisation) to be applicable from 2009. In order to qualify for the tax-break, productions will have to pass a cultural test, meant to check there is link between France and the content of the movie.

« Obviously, the idea of the system is to get productions shot here, and trigger jobs", explains Film France managing director Patrick Lamassoure, "and movies such as Marie-Antoinette, Da Vinci Code, A Good Year, would have passed the test". Film France is now working with the Minister of Culture on the technicalities of the system.

Productions already qualified as French national productions through a coproduction treaty will not be able to claim the new tax-break also.
France tax-break information : film@filmfrance.net

08/12/2008

France: the coproduction guide 2008

The French Movie Production Support System

The purpose of this booklet is to let you know if your project is eligible to be co-produced by French companies through the State support system, how to increase the interest it might have for French companies and what kind of financing could be gathered in France for your project. It is available free of charge. Order it here :
» http://www.filmfrance.net/gb/guidecoproduction/commander.cfm

05/11/2008

France: Unlimited Access

From November 9th to 13th, ten top Hollywood screenwriters will be discovering secret and beautiful places of France...

An unprecedented discovery trip organized by Film France the French Film Commission and the Los Angeles French Film & TV Office of the French Embassy.

For one week, they will have access to places in Paris and Marseille that no tourist has ever touched : at dawn they will follow a Michelin-starred Chef in the alleys of the Rungis market, the biggest meat and vegetables market in the world, which furnishes all the gastronomical restaurants in Paris, they will patrol the giant Marseille harbor with the pilots or pop up in the control room of the French railway system. The name of the program sums it all : "France: Unlimited Access".

This ambitious program has attracted 10 very established Hollywood writers, such as John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Derek Haas and Michael Brandt (Wanted), Ed Solomon (Men in Black), Rita Hsiao (Toy Story 2) or Edward Neumeier (the Robocop ans Starship Trooper franchise) to pack their laptops and join in.

17/09/2008

An Indian shoot in the pastures on the French Alps

Production company Dream World came from Chennai last week in the French Alps region for a two days song shoot

It was director Jesudas second shoot in France : the Tamil filmaker was on September 10 et 11th on the high mountain pastures of the famous resort Chamonix filming a song sequence for his new movie Enakkul Oru Kaadhal. The production was serviced by French line producer Jean-Patrick Costantini. He has an extensive track-record of organizing Indian shoots in France, specially in Paris and his homeland Corsica, where Jesudas came to shoot in 2007. But bringing an India film in the French Alps was a first for the two men. "The filmakers were amazed by the beauty of the locations of the French Alps, which has everything the Indian film industry has been looking in Switzerland for years", says Jean-Patrick.
The movie was shot in Chamonix station, and many spots of the plateau of Assy, perfect with snowy mountains landscapes as well as nice chalets. On the attached picture, one can recopgnize pretty actress Shanmugaraj Manjula dancing on a pasture.
But Chamonix has a plus : its representative for the Indian markets Barbara Breheret has a special interest for the Indian film industry, and acts as a (free) location manager for the visiting production. And she speaks fluently both English and Hindi ! "The collaboration with this Tamil team was perfect, and we found for them cost-effective accomodations and Indian restaurants", explains Barbara, who also represents the Rhônes-Alpes region, which includes part the French Alps as well the big city of Lyon. She shall be next month in Mumbai for Cinescapes on a Film France and France Guide booth. The Rhones Alps region co-organized a few month ago the Sangam Tour, a fam trip for Indian producers.

14/01/2008

2 Golden Globes for "The Diving Bell"

Julian Schnabel received the Golden Globe award for the best director for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly...

...which also obtained the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. The Franco-American production, with the assistance of CRRAV Nord Pas de Calais, was installed at the Berck Sur Mer hospital where Jean-Dominique Bauby resided at the end of his life.
» http://www.crrav.com/golden.htm

14/12/2007

Five Golden Globe Noms for pics shot in France!

We are proud to announce the nominations awarded to these beautiful movies shot - partialy or totally- in France

- Best actress (Drama): Angelina Jolie in "A Mighty Heart" (her
weeding sequence was shot in the Marseille region)
- Best actress (Musical or Comedy): Marion Cotillard in "La Vie
en
Rose" (this Piaf bipic was shot in Paris
- Best Director: Julian Schnabel for "The Diving Bell and the
Butterfly" (shot in Berck sur Mer in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais
region
- Best Screenplay : Ronal Hardwood for "The Diving Bell and
the
Butterfly"
- Best Foreign language film : "The Diving Bell and the
Butterfly" and "Persepolis" (animation)
Congratulations!

30/11/2007

The 1st BoardofDirectors of EuFCN has been elected

The 55 film commissions representing 18 European countries appointed:
" Arie Bohrer, Location Austria / The Austrian Film Commission as President
" Patrick Lamassoure, Film France, as General Secretary
" Marianne Gassner, Stuttgart Region Film Commission as Treasurer
" Andrea Rocco, Genova Set Film Commission, Board member
" Giorgio Fossati, Film Commission Torino Piemonte, Board member
" Piluca Querol, Andalucia Film Commission, Board member
" Ludmila Claussova, Czech Film Center - Film Commission, Board member
The meeting was hosted by the Czech Film Center- Film Commission and the Czech Audiovisual Producers' Association. The Czech Film Center is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
The audiovisual industry worldwide is expected to grow to 71 billion euros over the next three years, according to a recent PWC report. The EuFCN will work to ensure that Europe competes for a share of this global industry, said Arie Bohrer, president of the association.
As the first reaction showed among film commissions in Europe the number of new members of EuFCN will increase significantly in 2008.
The EuFCN is based in Brussels.
European Film Commissions Network
Regione Liguria Sede di Gruxelles
CASALIGURIA, Rue du Luxembourg 15
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel +32 2 2891389
Fon +32 2 2891399

11/10/2007

Priyanka Chopra in Paris

The Indian brand "J.Hampstead" shoots a prestigeous ad with star Priyanka Chopra playing a consecrated stylist in Paris

Skillfully carried out by Jim and Tina Damour (ICR), the filming
of Percept Pictures' advertising film for the clothing brand J.
Hamspead in Paris from September 26th to 28th, 2007 was
successfully concluded, in spite of a very short production
calendar. First of all, the results were very satisfactory in terms
of employment: a total of 300 days of film workers, thanks in
particular to a big day with 70 extras, and large technical crews.
Secondly, because all the filming took place in Paris, questions
of artistic continuity between sequences filmed in France and
India, inherent to feature movies, did not arise. Therefore a
French set decorator was employed; a rare case for a short
foreign film shoot in France. Tina and Jim Damour were
recommended to Percept Pictures by the producer of Jhoom
Barabar Jhoom.
The scenario follows the work and ensuing success of a young
fashion designer played by Priyanka Chopra. "We needed a
fashion capital, so we hesitated between Milan and Paris. But
Milan does not have an iconic monument immediately
recognizable by everyone in India", explains the producer
Youla Khurana. The director Razneesh Ghai then took as a
starting point photographs by Doisneau and Cartier-Bresson,
which were used as reference for the re-styling of a cafe at
Montmartre and a restaurant at Mouffetard.
ICR also initiated an agreement between Percept Pictures, the
star and a French fashion house, which made it possible for the
film shoot to also take place in its workshop. The scene of
Priyanka Chopra's character's success after her fashion show,
was shot in the Petit Palais, thanks to the support of Paris Film
(member of the Film France network), Paris City Hall's contact
for film shoots, and its head, Sophie Boudon-Vanhille, one of
the principal contacts for film shoots in Paris. It was the first
time an Indian advertising film with a star came to France.

15/06/2007

French actresses for Shipwreck Film

Yesterday (Thursday), Film France offices welcomed a casting session for "Just Ines", an independant British film produced by Shipwreck Film.

On the 21st of June, Marcel Grant will start the shoot of his third feature "Just Ines", with several sequences shot in France. The title character, Ines, is a French woman in which the hero, played by famous British stage actor Daniel Weyman, will fall in love with. The
director and his producer Emma Meaden came to Paris to cast Ines and met yesterday a number of stunning English-speaking young French actresses:
Lilou Fogli, Caroline Ducey, Sophie Mayer, Sabrina Van Tassel or Barbara Cabrita.
Shipwreck will shoot for a few days in France, in a nice old mansion near Virouze and in the city of Pau. Produced on a very low-budget, "Just Ines" got a key support from Film France and several local film commissions of the Film France network.
» www.shipwreckfilm.com

31/05/2007

The European Film Commissions Network is born !

The new association will elect its president at the fall, and foster activities related to networking, training and promotion of European film shoots.

During the 60th Cannes Film Festival, 50 film commissions from Europe gathered on Tuesday, May 22nd 2007 for the first General Assembly of the European Film Commissions Network (EuFCN).
After discussing the issue for several months, the working group (Andalucía/Spain, Austria, France, Genova, Stuttgart, Torino Piemonte) invited the European film commissioners to move forward with a real association in order to meet on a regular basis, share experiences and foster joint initiatives. The association is open to every film commission based in Europe.
A complete program will be established after the elections of the board, to be held next fall in a European region. Coming from various countries, regions or cities, the 50 attendees suggested a wide scope of activities to be launched: networking meetings, information tools aimed at producers, exchange of practical experiences, market studies, common presence in important events& And, of course, the association will stress the importance of the economical impact of the film commissions' work to the attention of the European Commission and the industry leaders.

29/05/2007

A Tamil shoot in Corsica

While the Cannes Film Festival was at its peak, production services Corsica Film Studio handled the shoot of Tamil production "Paali" in Corsica.

"We do not have an island in India where cliffs and sea meet in
such a way as here" the producer of "Paali" explained to a
Corsican journalist. The Indian production arrived on May 24th
and shot 2 days of song sequences for a Tamil feature near the
pitoresque town of Bonifacio. The film used Corsican beaches,
cliffs and boats as sets.
Jean-Patrick Costantini with his company Corsica Film Studio
managed the organisation of the shoot for Vijaya Baarti Arts, a
production company based in Chennai. The Indian team was
composed of 40 individuals seconded by a dozen French
technicians and a group of dancers, amounting to a total of 63
days of work.
Film France supported the project right from the very
beginning, particularly regarding visas and the cast, working
with line producer Sivaram Radhakrishnan for the organisation
of the shoot outside India.
The presence of Tanit / Corsica Film Studio on the Sangam
Zone of Film France's website, dedicated to
Indian productions, played a key-role in attracting the team of
"Paali" to the French island of Corsica.
Chennai is one of the three big film production centres in India,
with Mumbai and Hyderabad, with 136 features produced in
2005 (out of a total of 1041 Indian films).
» http://www.filmfrance.net/gb/india/index.cfm

The purpose of this booklet is to let you know if your project is eligible to be co-produced by French companies through the State support system, how to increase the interest iy might have for French companies and, what kind of financinf could be gathered in France for your project. It is available free of charge. Order it here :
» http://www.filmfrance.net/gb/guidecoproduction/commander.cfm

02/04/2007

High profile French delegation in Los Angeles !

The biggest French presence ever seen during the Locations Trade Show !

During the Locations Trade Show 2007 (Los Angeles, April 12-14), a delegation made of 19 French companies hosted by Film France and the Ile-de-France Film Commission will come to the US West coast to attend this world film commissions trade show.
Besides professional booths and a French lounge, several promotional efforts will be unfold, including a Provençal dinner initiated by the Marseille-Provence Chamber of Commerce, and an evening for the French VFX companies organized by the Ile-de-France Film Commission.

Film France, the French Film Commission, and Marseille Provence invents a global solution for producers tempted to come and shoot in Provence.

Marseille Provence and Film France are innovating at the 2007
Locations Trade Show in offering film professionals the
opportunity to meet at one and the same time all the contacts
they need for a major shoot in Provence : the local Film
Commissions, the Regional film financing unit, local line
producers and support services, of course, but also decision-
makers from Marseille and the Provence-Alps-Côte d'Azur
Region, as well as tourism organizations and economic
development agencies aiding the setting-up of foreign
companies in the area.
It is the first time that Provence has appeared at the Locations
Trade Show and it is also the first time that any filming
destination has brought to Los Angeles such a group of local
decision-makers. First and foremost, this operation has
learned from the successive filmings in Provence of Ridley
Scott's A Good Year and Steven Bendelak's Mr Bean's
holiday , explains Patrick Lamassoure, the manager of Film
France, the French Film Commission. In high-potential regions
like Provence, with great decors but densely populated and
with a major tourist industry, the arrival of a major shoot calls
for an effort from all concerned so that the relationship
between the production team and the local area can go beyond
being simply commercial to being a real partnership. Georges
Antoun, Vice-President of the Marseille Chamber of Commerce
adds : In one sense, the task is to bring together two great
French traditions : a sense of hospitality on the one hand, and
a respect for film-makers on the other.
The Provence-Alps-Cote d'Azur Region, of which Marseille is
the largest city, attracts one third of all foreign filming in
France with each year around 400 filming days, mainly
commercials and feature films. It is known for being
particularly film-friendly.
» www.afci.org

12/03/2007

Pitching Documentaries with DOCU REGIO

Four French regional funds take part in a European initiative to create a network aiming at promoting co-productions for documentaries

The Nord/Pas de Calais, Aquitaine, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur and the Centre regional funds associate themselves with eight other European funds (from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, The Netherlands, Ireland and two Belgian regions: Wallonie and Flanders) to launch next June the first session of the documentary pitch Docu Regio "Pitching and Networking in Europe".
Docu Regio has a double objective: mastering the art of pitching a documentary project in English and finding new financial supports abroad when French ones have become scarce.
Twelve producers will be selected to follow this specific training; each one proposing a documentary film project in a development stage and suitable for a European co-production.
After the training session in Vienna, each producer will present his/her project before a panel of twelve commissioning editors. This final session will take place Oct 19th in Tourcoing, France.
Five French producers will be selected for this training: 4 from the 4 regions involved in the initiative and the fifth one thanks to the support of PROCIREP will be selected among the other regions in France.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 26th March 2007
» www.crrav.com/docuregio

09/03/2007

PARIS CINEMA Film Festival co-production platform

Paris Projects brings together key players in the French film industry around a few movie projects that are not yet finalised.

Save your dates for the next edition of Paris Projects, the co-
production and development platform of the Paris Cinema
International Film Festival (July 3 to 14, 2007).
The ambition of Paris Projects is to bring together key players
in the French film industry, around a few international
production projects that are not yet finalised.
What makes Paris Projects so special is that it aims at
encouraging French professionals to get involved in foreign
projects and films in development in order to promote financial
arrangements, co-productions and networking with potential
French partners.
In 2006, more than 150 professionals attended Paris Projects
2006 and 235 meetings were scheduled&
Based on the inspiration of the Rotterdam CineMart, Paris
Projects invites the foreign filmmakers and producers of the
selected projects to spend 3 days in Paris: personalized
appointments and meetings are organized with French and
European professionals who are likely to be interested in those
selected projects and to bring them financial support through
co-production or presales. Deadline for submission of projects:
May 14, 2007
please note that the projects have to be submitted by a
production company and should not have French partners
attached
» http://www.pariscinema.org/fr/professionnels/parisprojects07/ppform.html

14/11/2006

A six weeks shoot in Paris for Rush Hour 3

Jacky Chan, Chris Tucker and their director Brett Ratner went all over Paris and finished with a spectacular stunt sequence on the Eiffel tower.

After an initial one-week second unit shoot of major
stunt sequences this summer, Brett Ratner and the
Rush Hour 3 crew resumed shooting the New Line
franchise movie in Paris in the fall. The two heroes, still
interpreted by Jacky Chan and Chris Tucker, come to the
capital for an investigation and are caught up in
astonishing adventures which lead them to the
Trocadéro palace , the banks of the Seine or the Roissy
international airport, passing by the French foreign
affairs ministry and many other typical locations.
Péninsula Films (John Bernard and Gilles Castéra) line
produced the Paris shoot, which represented a
challenge considering the requirements of this type of
major action comedy. But thanks to the flawless
collaboration between the Police Office and the Paris
Film Office (member of the Film France network), the
shoot went very well.
Among many spectacular locations, the crew spent
several nights on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower,
which hosts a key scene of the plot, a unique stunt, the
most spectacular ever realised on the Tower since A
view to kill with Roger Moore in 1985.

A screen adaptation of an Agatha Christie's novel, the
TV series, produced by Sophie Revil (Escazal Films) and
directed by Edwin Baily, was shot for 4 months in
Britanny, from February to May 2006. "The movie
needed a seaside castle, on a cliff, and that corresponds
well with our landscapes, explains Michel Guilloux from
the regional Film Commission Films in Bretagne
accueil de tournages : we have here the perfect
architecture and natural settings for Agatha Christie's
mysterious atmosphere".
Thanks to a reconnaissance campaign launched by the
"Bureau d'accueil de tournages" and the support of 6
local rekkers, the production choose the beautiful
Beaumanoir castle, near Quintin. Entirely shot in the
"Côte d'Armor" region, the TV series is also an occasion
to discover or rediscover the charm of the picturesque
architecture of Moncontour and Quintin, of the Plouëc
du Trieux station, and of the Erquy beaches, which were
also the set for this delightful thriller.
The Film Commission also assisted with the hire of
about forty local technicians, and twenty or so actors.
More than 150 local extras worked on the set too. The
movie received financial aid from the Brittany region.
The 4X90 minutes TV series is broadcasted this month
in France on France 2 terrestrial channel.

23/10/2006

Michael Winterbotton shoots in Marseille

Two days of shoot in Marseille for Angelina Jolie and the very small crew of "Mighty Heart", Michael Winterbottom's new movie.

"The strangest side of this shoot was the contrast
between the magnitude of the stars -Brad Pitt and
Angelina Jolie- and the reduced size of the crew, "
commented Raphaël Benoliel (Firststep), line producer
for the french shoot of "Mighty Heart". On the set,
Michael Winterbottom ("Nine Songs", "Jude") was in
fact surrounded by only four technicians : a
boom-operator, a sound engineer, a director of
photography and a camera-assistant. Behind the
scenes, the crew was completed by two costume
assistants, and two make up artists, and a few PA's and
drivers. "Mighty heart" is based on Marianne Pearl's
book on her life with journalist Daniel Pearl, murdered
in Pakistan. Brad Pitt bought the rights to the book.
Angelina Jolie acts as Marianne Pearl, her husband
being inpersonated by Dan Futterman.
The crew came to shoot two days in the Marseille region
in early October, in a street of Marseille and in the
"Château de Valmousse" (photo) for a wedding scene.
The whole production represented 194 days of
employment for French professionals, half of them
being extras, all hired, as the majority of crew
members, in the Marseille region. Total spending in
France : 120 000 euros.
» http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829459/

04/10/2006

Event movie DON starts in India

Strong results for the release in India of the Farhan Akhtar 's "Don", with Shah Rukh Khan.

In the heat of a battle between cartels and
anti-narcotic agents, Don, who manages a drug empire,
is captured by a police officer who asks Don's
spitting image Vijay to take his place in order to bring
down the cartel. After the death of his chief, Vijay is
hunted by the police, who are unaware of his true
identity, and by Don's gang, who have discovered the
truth.
Due to the fact that the movie star Shah Rukh Khan
plays the double part of Don and Vijay, this remake of
an Indian classic is a big event in India.
In June 2006, French company ICR (Jim & Tina
Damour) line produced in Paris the two-days shoot of
"Don"'s opening sequence. Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan
Akhtar and his crew, composed of French and Indian
technicians, have notably shot in front of the Eiffel
Tower, which can be seen in the movie trailer.
» http://www.donthefilm.com

29/09/2006

A romantic comedy shot in the Luberon

Ridley Scott's new movie "A Good Year" was entirely shot last year in the Lubéron for 11 weeks. American release is due November 10th.

Produced by the legendary producer Branko Lustig
("Gladiator", "Schindler's List"), the Ridley Scott movie
was shot from August 23rd to October 30th 2005 in the
beautiful South of France region of the Luberon. Russel
Crowe is a young London broker, heir to a French
vineyard in Provence. He comes to the South of France,
with the intention to sell the domain as soon as
possible and return to his affairs. But as days go by in
the Luberon, he changes his mind, meets a French girl
played by Marion Cotillard ("Taxi"), and remembers
with nostalgia the landscapes of his childhood.
The production benefited not only from the logistic
support of "Bureau du Cinéma du Lubéron", the local
member of the Film France network, but also from Film
France national office help, who organized a meeting
between local politicians and film crew before the
shoot. The support of local authorities was in fact a key
to the production's success, as the shoot was taking
place in very small villages such as Bonnieux, Ménerbes,
Lacoste or Cucuron, all extremely cute, but not quite
prepared for receiving the caravan of trucks of a huge
Hollywood production!
As a result of the hard work of all involved, especially
location managers Thierry Zemmour and Marco
Giacalone, and also thanks to the local police, the shoot
was a great success.

19/09/2006

Cartoon Tributes: 5 French Companies nominated

5 French companies have been recognized by the 17th Cartoon Forum, which pays homage to the leading protagonists of European animation.

The 17th Cartoon Forum, the co-production forum
dedicated to the financing of European animation
programmes for television, honours the companies that
have had a positive influence on the European
animation industry over the last year
with the creation of the Cartoon Tributes. The over 750
participants of Cartoon Forum 2006, hosted in the
French town of Pau from 20-23 September, will vote on
the winners that will be announced at a ceremony on 23
September.
A total of 15 companies from six European countries
have been nominated as finalists in three categories.
French companies are the most numerous among the
finalists. France 5, Tiji and Gulli (from the Lagardère
Canal J group) are in competition for
the Broadcaster of the Year. France Télévisions
Distribution is nominated for the Investor of the Year
and Alphanim and Futurikon for the Producer of the
Year.
» http://www.cartoon-media.be/FORUM/1_Event.htm

06/09/2006

Cages in Toronto and Rome

Belgium director Olivier Masset-Depasse will have a world premiere in Toronto for his film, entirely shot in Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Olivier Masset-Depasse's first feature "Cages" will have its world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival, on October 8th.
Mainly shot in the Nord-Pas de Calais region in France, as seen on the poster, this franco-belgium film is coproduced by the CRRAV (fund supported by the Regional Council). It is also selected for the 1st Rome International Film Fest.
Many local crews worked on the film, as well as a local coproducer (Lille's based Mobilis). The film also benefited from a new partnership between two European regional film funds : Walllimage and the CRRAV Nord-Pas de Calais.
» http://www.crrav.com/actu_cage.htm

21/08/2006

Days of Glory

The best actor award of the last Cannes Festival, the movie directed by Rachid Bouchareb is supported by many local governments in France.

1944-1945... Liberation of Italy, Provence, the Alps, the Rhone Valley, Vosges, Alsace was essential to the victory of the allies... and to establish France's presence among them after the armistice.
This victorious battle to advance on Germany, after much bloodshed and great losses, was the accomplishment of the First French Army, recruited in Africa in order to avoid the control of the German commissioners and the Vichy authorities: 200,000 men, including 130,000 indigenes (natives) including 110,000 North Africans, and 20,000 AfricansÉThe rest made up of two thirds pieds- noirs (French colonials) and one third young frenchmen who fled the occupation.
The film relates the forgotten story of the soldiers known as Indigènes following the epics of four of them: Abdelkader, Saïd, Messaoud and Yassir (le goumier) a mobile corps, reputed for their endurance, ground sense , and courage in close combat. They are sent to the front line.
Each one is in pursuit of a different objective throughout the passage across France which they liberate, arms in hand.
» http://www.indigenes-lefilm.com/

09/08/2006

Tanit flies a Land Rover

French production services found all the solutions for a complex commercial that required an airport on an Island for two weeks !

It is a commercial, for a print and tv campaign, and also
a filmed live performance : Land Rover and ad agency
Young & Rubicam USA wanted to have a cargo-plane
flying over the Mediterranean Sea guided only by the
GPS of the car in its hold ! "At the beginning, they
were thinking of having the plane take off from Spain
to the Baleares, explains Jean-Patrick Costantini, from
Tanit, the French production service company, that
ended up handling the shoot. But the shoots required
having an airport at disposal for two weeks, and we
were the only ones to find such a rare facility only in
Corsica with Ajaccio, thanks to the goodwill of the local
Trade of Commerce". So the plane took off at Nice and
arrived in Ajaccio. For accuracy purposes, the director
Gerard de Thame actually did, during the flight, the
shots of the Land Rover's GPS guiding the big Antonov.
And as the film mentions the names of Nice and
Ajaccio, proud Corsican Jean-Patrick Costantini is also
happy as it increases the fame of his island !
» http://www.landroverusa.com/us/en/Vehicles/home.htm

07/08/2006

Flandres

The "Grand Prix"of Cannes Film Festival was shot in Nord Pas de Calais with the support from the CRRAV.

Today, in Flanders, the local young men leave as soldiers to fight in a distant land. The story of soldiers going to the front, their march, the comrades, the misery of war.
The wait for horror - the horror itself - and what happens after, when they have to become men again...
» http://www.tadrart.com/tessalit/flandres/

06/07/2006

Dydo flies over the Etoile place

Thanks to a 70-meters high crane, Katsuji Takasaki and N-Europa managed an unprecedented shot on the Arc de Triomphe for a Dydo commercial.

One of the leading French commercials production
services companies, N-Europa line produced last week a
dramatic film for Japanese coffee brand Dydo. Shot in
two days, the commercial starts with a close-up of
Japanese star Takako Tokiwa savouring a coffe on the
terrasse of a French monument, and ends with of the
Place de l'Etoile an amazing shot from a 70 meters-high
crane (see photo). Never has the Arc de Triomphe been
shot this way ! Thanks to the film-friendly attitude of
the curators of the Arc de Triomphe - managed by the
Centre des Monuments Nationaux, the French body in
charge of 200 of the most famous French historical
monuments - the filmakers also got to use a louma for
the sequence on the terrace of the Paris monument,
where these days French soccer fans are gathering after
each win of their team. The filmakers was helped by the
Paris Film Office, member of the Film France network.
The Dydo film is directed for Tokyo production house
TYO by Japanese director Katsuji Takasaki, who has
already signed some of the most amazing images of
France of the Japanses commercial industry. For its
creation in 2000 by Masaro Nagaishi and Pierre
Lautmann, N-Europa has been producing stylish
commercials for leading Japanese brands, such as
Nissan, Toyota, Canon, Panasonic, Samsung. The
company has its own pool of directors and
cinematographers.
» http://www.n-europa.com

06/07/2006

The Devil still wears Prada !

The Fox production had stopped two days in Paris for a quick shoot last december.

Since its release on June 30th, David Frankel's "The
Devil Wears Prada" (adapted from Lauren Weisberger's
best-seller) scored an amazing US$ 70,000,000. The
film, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, includes
several sequences in Paris, including one during a
fashion show.
The crew made a quick two-days stop in the French
capital in december 2005, handled by the French
production services company Peninsula Film.
» http://www.devilwearspradamovie.com/

30/06/2006

Shah Rukh Khan shooting in Paris

Excel Entertainment just wrapped the shoot in Paris of the opening sequence of "Don", with SRK. ICR (Jim & Tina Damour) line produced the French shoot

A short one, but a good one ! Producer Ritesh Sidhwani and his partner in Excel Entertainment director Farhan Akhtar just wrapped the two-days shoot in the streets of Paris of the opening sequence of "Don", one of the blockbusters of Indian cinema this year.
Among their locations, the famous place de la Concorde and the Avenue Rapp, close to the Eiffel Tower.
In this remake of the famous action-thriller of the 70's, Shah Rukh Khan plays the title-character originally created by Amitabh Bachchan.
Jim & Tina Damour (ICR) handled the French shoot of "Don", blending Indian and French crew members in an unusual mix (see photo : an Indian DOP & his French
camera operator).
Contacts between Film France and the filmakers team started in October 2005, when the French Film Commission went to Mumbai for a promotional event supported by the French Embassy in India.
» http://icr.free.fr/

Film France welcomes you to its pavillon (207) in the International Village Pantiero.

25/04/2006

French Monuments : 200 locations...

...., one contact, a new rates scale!
The Centre des Monuments Nationaux (Monum) throws open its remarkable site for films (feature-films, documentaries, publicity shots...): castels, abbays, fortresses, palaces and gardens&
One contact: Monum, Mrs Daura, tournage-prisedevue@monum.fr
All the usefull informations about shooting in these locations (descriptions, photos, rates...) and in many others are available on our website: www.filmfrance.net.
» http://monum.fr/prehome/prehome_pro.dml

25/04/2006

Film France and the local film commissions...

...from the red carpet at Cannes!

Film France is honoured to have accompanied the film shoots of Ron Howard's "The Da Vinci Code" and Sofia Coppola's "Marie-Antoinette".
The Ile-de-France Film Commission and the Paris Film Office, members of the Film France network, were key partners in ensuring that the two American productions ran smoothly and efficiently.
As for French film productions, they benefited from logistical help from the local film commissions in the Film France network and financial assistance from the French local and regional supports.
Feature Films In Competition/Out of Competition:
- Charlie Says directed by Nicole Garcia. Help from Pôle Image Upper Normandy Film Commission
- The Singer directed by Xavier Giannoli. Help from the Auvergne Film Commission, financial assistance from the Auvergne region
- Flanders directed by Bruno Dumont. Help from the CRRAV Nord/Pas-de-Calais Film Commission
- Indigènes directed by Rachid Bouchareb. Help from the Strasbourg Film Commission and the Alsace Film Commission, financial assistance from Ile-de-France, Franche-Comté and Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur regions
- Les signes directed by Eugène Green. Help from the Pyrénées Atlantiques Film Commission and the Aquitaine Film Commission, funded by the Aquitaine region.
- Avida directed by Benoît Delépine. Help from the CRRAV Nord/Pas-de-Calais Film Commission
Feature Films in Un Certain Regard:
- La tourneuse de pages directed by Denis Dercourt. Funded by Ile-de-France region
- La Californie directed by Jacques Fieschi. Funded by the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur region
- Murderers directed by Patrick Grandperret. Help from the Poitou-Charentes Film Commission, financial assistance from the Poitou-Charentes department and the Poitou-Charentes region
» http://www.festival-cannes.fr/index.php

06/03/2006

Hal Hartley & The Sopranos in Paris

The city of lights just hosted the teams of Hal Hartley's new pic "Fay Grim" and one episode of "The Sopranos" 6th season.

In late February, Hal Hartley lensed for 3 days in Paris. The
roofs
of the French capital city, and the stairs of Montmartre will
appear
in "Fay Grim", his next feature film, supposed to be the sequel
of
"Henry's Fool". The film is coproduced by HDNet Films, the pay-
per-view TV channel. The French production service company
was Néon Productions.
Then in early March, "The Sopranos" settled down in the city of
lights for one week of principal photography, in very "parisian"
places too : les Champs-Élysées, the Alexander III bridge and
the Cluny medieval museum. The images will complete the 6th
season of the adventures of Tony (James Gandolfini) et
Carmela (Edie Falco) Soprano. Peninsula Film managed the
production in France, for HBO.
Both shootings were supported by the Paris Film Office, the
Ile-de-France Film Commission and Film France.
» http://www.possiblefilms.com/

20/02/2006

The Panther is back in French theaters

Just released in the US, and very soon in France (March 8th), "The Pink Panther" was partly shot in France.

Did they come for Jean Reno ?
Before "The Da Vinci Code", to be released in May 2006, while it
will be Cannes 2006 opening film, the French actor also stars in
another shot-in-France Hollywood picture, and that is "The Pink
panther" (French release : March 8th).
Shawn Levy's comedy, starring Steve Martin in the Inspector
Clouseau's raincoat, inherited from the cult character played by
Peter Sellers in the Blake Edwards' original film, was partly shot
in the streets of the French capital.
Considering that Spielberg's "Munich", presently in theaters, was
also shot there (for a week), the City of Lights is right now on all
the screens.
» http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thepinkpanther/

02/02/2006

Merry Christmas in Hollywood !!

Christian Carion's second pic nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.

Strongly supported by the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, in which it was also partly lensed, Christian Carion second picture is nominated for the Best Foreign language film Academy Award. An amazing reward for the director already known for his first film (A Girl From Paris), for his actors and his producer Christophe Rossignon (Nord-Ouest Production).
It's the second year in a row for a French film supported by a French region to be nominated ("The Chorus", shot in Auvergne, was the 2005 French candidate).
» http://www.oscars.org/

16/01/2006

French Season for US Bachelor

On air since the beginning of January on ABC, the new US Bachelor season has been shot in France last fall.

This 8th season of the American Bachelor, the genuine one, is also the first to be filmed outside of the United States... What better place for the perfect love story to play out than France and Paris, the City of Lights ? The US and French crews shot all over the country, from the Paris & Ile-de-France region, base camp for the Bachelor Girls, to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Cannes), going through Champagne and the French Alps (Courchevel).
» http://abc.go.com/primetime/bachelor/show.html

14/12/2005

The Da Vinci Code...the first full length trailer

Partly shot in France, the new film of Ron Howard will be released on may 2006.

Partly shot in France in september, the new Spielberg film will be released in France on January 25th, 2006.

Mr Spielberg does work fast enough : visiting France in September 2005, for a 5 days shooting of his next film "Munich" (Paris and region "Centre-Val-de-Loire"), he already has wrapped post-production, for a January 2006 world release.
Synopsis : In the tragic aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics, a Mossad agent tracks Palestinian terrorists who assassinated Israeli athletes. His journey for vengeance takes him to various countries, including France.
» http://www.munichmovie.com/

29/11/2005

"Hell" shot in Ile-de-France

The film will reach French theaters on November 30th.

Part of a trilogy initially planned by late Krysztof Kieslowski, "Hell" is directed by Danis Tanovic, and was supported by the Ile-de-France region.

29/11/2005

"Merry Christmas" from France

Cannes Festival Selection 2005.
Official French Selection of the Academy Awards. Coproduced by French region Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

"Merry Christmas" by Christian Carion has now reached the 1,000,000 admissions mark (Euros 6,000,000) on the French market. This another success for the director, the producer Christophe Rossignon (Nord-Ouest) and the region Nord-Pas-de-Calais who coproduced the film.
Synopsis : On Christmas Eve during world War I, the Germans, French, and Scottish are trying to make peace, so they bury their dead and play football.
» http://www.crrav.com/actu_jn.htm

The movie, shot in the Vercors with the assistance of Rhône-Alpes Film Commission, was presented in official selection at the last Cannes Festival.

Directors: Jean-Marie et Arnaud Larrieu
Casting: Sabine Azéma, Daniel Auteuil, Amira Casar, Sergi Lopez.
William and Madeleine live in a town at the foot of mountains.
Married for a long time, faithful to each other and in love, they lead a quiet life.
Their daughter, an only child, is moving to Italy. Now they have nobody but themselves to look out for.
During one of her walks in the surrounding hills, Madeleine sets up her easel in front of an old house and meets Adam, a man who is refined, well read and blind. He shows Madeline around the house she is painting, which is for sale. It's love at first sight. William and Madeleine decide to buy it.
In the weeks following the sale, William and Madeleine are in a state of bliss.
They organize their new life nearby Adam and his young companion Eva, whose house is only few hundred yards away. When their new friends' house burns to the ground, William and Madeleine want nothing more than to take them in.
» http://www.cinema-en-rhone-alpes.com/rac/catalogue/fiche.php?film=118

25/07/2005

Paris, je t'aime

20 short stories of love in one mythic location: Paris, the City of Love.

The segment "8th arrondissement", from Alfonso Cuaron, is filmed in August.

01/06/2005

Sofia Coppola at Versailles

The 12 weeks of shooting of Sofia Coppola's next film just ended, in due time, entirely in the Ile-de-France region.

Sofia Coppola was able to fulfill her demands to shoot in the genuine locations of her story. She entirely shot "Marie-Antoinette" in the Ile-de-France region, inside the most prestigious places : Versailles, which opened doors that were closed to cameras so far, and also the Opéra Garnier, the Archives nationales (Hôtel de Soubise), the Banque de France, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, de Dampierre, etc.
Highly satisfied with their French technical team, headed by UPM Christine Raspillère, the director and her producer Ross Katz now return to the US for post-production works, who should last for several months.
This shooting, historical in every aspect, was supported by the French Film Commission, the Ile-de-France Film Commission and the Paris Film Office.
» http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20050308/CLTU04808032005-1.html

25/05/2005

Brice surfes on the Riviera

The French Riviera Film Commission supported the whole shooting of French hit "Brice de Nice".

This time, the title reflects reality: "Brice de Nice", by James Huth ("Serial Lover") was indeed entirely shot on the French Riviera, with the support of the local Film commission (and a few digital effects for the waves !).
"Brice de Nice", which will soon reach 4 million admissions in France (25 Meuros B.O.), is produced by the Altmayer brothers (Mandarin Films).
» http://www.bricedenice.com/

14/02/2005

An Oscar for the louma crane

Oscar statuettes will be presented to Jean-Marie Lavalou, Alain Masseron and David Samuelson for engineering & developing the Louma Camera Crane

Oscar statuettes will be presented to Jean-Marie Lavalou, Alain Masseron and David Samuelson for engineering and developing the Louma Camera Crane and remote system for motion picture production.
The Louma pioneered a remotely-operated camera head combined with a lightweight and portable modular crane. Its design has proved to be the inspiration for numerous
subsequent remote camera systems.
References: "Blade Runner", "Indiana Jones", "Harry Potter", "Valmont", "Troy"...
» http://www.loumasystems.biz/

14/02/2005

ASC Award for Bruno Delbonnel

Bruno Delbonnel won top honours for his work in "A Very Long Engagement" in the 19th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards.

Nominated for the Césars (France) and the Oscars (USA), Bruno Delbonnel, member of the AFC (French Association of Cinematographers) wins the AFC top Award for best cinematographer.
It is the first ASC award for Delbonnel, who was nominated for Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Amelie" in 2002.
It is the first time the ASC honors a foreign-language feature in the awards' 19-year history and the first time a non-ASC member copped the top prize.
» http://www.theasc.com/awards/index_19_nominee_bio.html

27/01/2005

Oscars 2005

Four Academy Award nominations for "The Chorus" and "A very long engagement", both entirely made in France with the french talents.

"The Chorus" is nominated in the best foreign language film section, and in the best original song section.
"A very long engagement" is nominated in the best art direction section (Aline Bonetto) and in the best cinematography section (Bruno Delbonnel). There are the second Academy Award Nomination for Aline Bonetto and Bruno Delbonnel. They were previously nominated for "Amelie".
» http://www.oscar.com/

15/12/2004

Golden Globe Awards 2005

Nominations in the Foreign Language Film category: "The Chorus" and "A very long engagement", shot in France.

Two ambassadors of the French regions are nominated for the Golden Globes 2005, in the Best Foreign Language Film section. They are "The Chorus" by Christophe Barratier, shot in Auvergne, and "A Very Long Engagement" by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, shot in Ile-de-France, Bretagne, Poitou-Charentes, Corse and Picardie. Besides, "The Chorus" was selected by the French National Center for cinema (CNC) to represent France in the race for the nomination to the Oscar (Best Foreign language film).
Sunday January 16, 2005: Presentation of the 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards.
» http://www.thegoldenglobes.com/welcome.html?yearz/G-2004.html

It is a sweeping romantic drama set in 1930's England, Paris, and Spain. Gilda Bessé shares her Paris apartment with an Irish schoolteacher, Guy Malyon, and Mia, a refugee from Spain. As the world drifts toward war, Gilda defiantly pursues her hedonistic lifestyle and her burgeoning career as a photographer. But Guy and Mia feel impelled to join the fight against fascism, and the three friends are separated - seemingly forever

15/11/2004

Ocean's 12

Steven Soderbergh shot in Paris and on the French Riviera Ocean's Twelve.

Daniel Ocean recruits one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists in this sequel to Ocean's 11.

03/11/2004

A Very Long Engagement

Jean-Pierre Jeunet (the director of "Amelie") shot "A very long engagement" in France with the french savoir-faire of the technical industries.

In competition at the 61st Venice International Film Festival.
Director: Claire Denis.
Casting: Béatrice Dalle.
Shoot in Franche-Comté.

28/06/2004

Co-Production opportunities

Our new guide "Filming in France with a French co-producer" is available

This guide presents the principal sources of financing for
feature films. A growing number of films initiated by foreign
producers are able to benefit from these financing sources
through international co-productions.
To receive a free copy of Filming in France with a French co-producer:
film@filmfrance.net

25/05/2004

Look at me_Best Screenplay Award Cannes

Best Screenplay Award goes to "Look at Me" by French duo Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri. The film was shot in Burgundy.

You are cordially invited to visit our pavilion at the Village France (near the old port). Our new guide "Filming in France with a French coproducer" is available. Our network of regional supports will be ready to answer all your questions about filming in the French regions. If you are interested in the technical services offered in France, just ask us.
Our phone number in Cannes: +33 (0)4 92 59 02 54

08/04/2004

THE STATEMENT

Norman Jewison shot The Statement in the South of France and in Ile de France. A Canada-France-UK co-production.

Set in modern day France, THE STATEMENT is the story of Pierre Brossard
(Michael Caine) who, as a young man during World War II, committed a
heinous crime. Brossard has never been brought to trial and has lived a
peaceful and anonymous life sheltered by right-wing elements within the
Catholic church. A new investigation into his crimes is launched by an
ambitious Judge (Tilda Swinton) and a scrupulous Colonel (Jeremy Northam).
Even though Brossard manages to outwit the state investigation, he is
simultaneously tracked by mysterious hit men. With two hunters on his heels,
this Brossard must try to stay alive and find out who is after him.
» http://www.sonyclassics.com/thestatement/core/hasFlash.html

27/01/2004

MALABAR PRINCESS

A film by Gilles Legrand with Jacques Villeret and Michèle Laroque. Filmed in the French Alps.

Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) staid in Paris for 2 weeks for the last two episodes of the series produced by HBO.

Filmed in January, the series took place at several locations including Place Dauphine, Place de la Concorde, the Plaza Athénée Hotel, the Cador Pastry, Jeu de Paume's Museum, Le Kong Restaurant, Dior Boutique avenue Montaigne and, last but not least, the Pont des Arts.

The National Film Commission France and its network of local film commissions are working on a new locations
database.

Every day, new
locations are added. More than 5000 locations are
available.
If
you can't
find the right location or if you want to share your
remarks
with us ,
please
contact us.
You start searching by geographic area, then by
location
type. You can refine your search with 3 other
criteria.
The resulting matches are anonymous (neither the
location
name nor the contact information will appear). At
this stage,
you can add locations to your locations portfolio.
Shortly
thereafter you will receive an email from the local
film
commissions concerned with your selected
locations. Each
response will contain additional photos as well as
useful
information concerning the location.
Once in possession of the necessary information,
you may
contact the location owner or administrator for a
filming
permit. In case of difficulty, the local film
commission will
intervene on your behalf but cannot under any
circumstances provide the permit. The local film
commission
can also assist you in planning your scout.